Comparative genomics of the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis reveals genes involved in spillover from birds to humans

Steven A. Sullivan, Jordan C. Orosco, Francisco Callejas-Hernández, Frances Blow, Hayan Lee, T. Rhyker Ranallo-Benavidez, Andrew Peters, Shane R. Raidal, Yvette A. Girard, Christine K. Johnson, Krysta H. Rogers, Richard Gerhold, Hayley Mangelson, Ivan Liachko, Harsh Srivastava, Chris Chandler, Daniel Berenberg, Richard A. Bonneau, Po-Jung Huang, Yuan-Ming Yeh, Chi-Ching Lee, Hsuan Liu, Ting-Wen Chen, Petrus Tang, Cheng-Hsun Chiu, Michael C. Schatz and Jane M. Carlton ()
Additional contact information
Steven A. Sullivan: New York University
Jordan C. Orosco: New York University
Francisco Callejas-Hernández: New York University
Frances Blow: New York University
Hayan Lee: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor
T. Rhyker Ranallo-Benavidez: Johns Hopkins University
Andrew Peters: Charles Sturt University
Shane R. Raidal: The University of Melbourne
Yvette A. Girard: University of California, Davis
Christine K. Johnson: University of California, Davis
Krysta H. Rogers: California Department of Fish & Wildlife
Richard Gerhold: University of Tennessee
Hayley Mangelson: Phase Genomics
Ivan Liachko: Phase Genomics
Harsh Srivastava: New York University
Chris Chandler: New York University
Daniel Berenberg: New York University
Richard A. Bonneau: New York University
Po-Jung Huang: Chang Gung University
Yuan-Ming Yeh: Chang Gung University
Chi-Ching Lee: Chang Gung University
Hsuan Liu: Chang Gung University
Ting-Wen Chen: Chang Gung University
Petrus Tang: Chang Gung University
Cheng-Hsun Chiu: Linkou
Michael C. Schatz: Johns Hopkins University
Jane M. Carlton: New York University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract Trichomonas vaginalis, the causative agent of the venereal disease trichomoniasis, infects men and women globally and is associated with serious outcomes during pregnancy, increased risk of HIV-1 infection, and cancers of the human reproductive tract. Species of trichomonad parasitize a range of hosts in addition to humans, including birds, livestock, and pets. Genetic analysis of trichomonads recovered from columbid birds has provided evidence that they undergo frequent host-switching, and that a spillover event from columbids likely gave rise to T. vaginalis in humans. Here we describe a comparative genomics study of seven trichomonad species, generating chromosome-scale reference genomes for T. vaginalis and its avian sister species Trichomonas stableri, and assemblies of five other species that infect birds and mammals. Human-infecting trichomonad lineages have undergone recent and convergent genome size expansions compared to their avian sister species, a result of extensive repeat expansions specifically of multicopy gene families and transposable elements, with genetic drift likely a driver due to relaxed selection. Trichomonads are thought to have independently host-switched twice from birds to mammals/humans. We identify gene functions implicated in the transition, including host tissue adherence and phagocytosis, extracellular vesicle formation, and CAZyme virulence factors, which are all associated with pathogenesis phenotypes.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61483-w

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