T Vaginalis Research Paper

Trichomonas vaginalis is the cause of the most common parasitic sexually transmitted infection in the world. Infections in women cause vaginitis, cervicitis and urethritis; those in men cause urethritis and prostatitis. T. vaginalis has also been considered as a risk marker for other sexually transmitted diseases, such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis. This flagellate is also in close association with an increased risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, which is related to local inflammation within the genital tract that occurs with T. vaginalis infections. Other reported associations include preterm labor and cervical cancer.
It has been estimated that between 10 and 50% of T. vaginalis infections are asymptomatic, supporting the need for more intensive screening for infections in sexually active men and women, as well as pregnant women.
vaginalis infection include microscopic examination of wet mount preparations, culture and more recently polymerase chain reactions (PCR). Wet mount examination of genital discharge material is rapid and inexpensive but the sensitivity is low. Currently broth culture is considered to be the gold standard for laboratory diagnosis but it requires 2 to 7 days of inoculation and daily microscopic examination. However the sensitivity is also low, ranging from 50-80%. Both methods are inherently limited because they rely on the organism to be viable for proper detection. These limitations have led to interest in development of molecular assays for the detection of T. vaginalis DNA from clinical specimens. PCR assays have been developed that are specific and show an improved sensitivity.
With appropriate awareness of importance of this commonly neglected pathogen and with use of adequate diagnostic tests this parasitic organism can be adequately diagnosed, appropriately treated and unpleasant sequels of untreated infection can be