Trichomonas Vaginalis
Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan parasite that is characteristically found in the human urogenital tract, responsible for the most frequent non-viral, sexually transmitted infection around the world. A plethora of techniques may be employed in the detection of this condition, ranging from just clinical diagnosis to specific laboratory-based testing.
The former (i.e. clinical diagnosis) is adequate for women with symptoms of infection (primarily itching, discharge and vaginal odor). Also, laboratory-based diagnostics do not provide immediate results so no specific treatment can be provided to the patient before the end of the consultation.
Still, the capacity to isolate organisms, employ various molecular technologies, test for multiple pathogenic organisms that are often found together, or even run large …show more content…
An appropriate swab is used in order to collect the material from the vaginal fornix, which is then placed into a small amount (approximately 0.5 to 1.0 milliliters) of normal saline. A drop of such saline preparation is deposited on a slide for microscopic observation with a 40× objective.
Trichomonas can be recognized in the preparation as it shows a distinguishing asynchronous motion known as quivering or twitching motility. Due to its size that is similar to white blood cells (which are often present in specimens taken from patients with a discharge), precautions must be taken to ensure that the observed organism is really motile.
The comparison with some newer diagnostic assays shows that wet preparation microscopy is 35 to 60 percent sensitive (even in symptomatic women), which also depends on the expertise of the microscopist. Nevertheless, observation of motile Trichomonas vaginalis is highly specific and, hence, quite useful for determining the adequate course of treatment.
Culture
The former (i.e. clinical diagnosis) is adequate for women with symptoms of infection (primarily itching, discharge and vaginal odor). Also, laboratory-based diagnostics do not provide immediate results so no specific treatment can be provided to the patient before the end of the consultation.
Still, the capacity to isolate organisms, employ various molecular technologies, test for multiple pathogenic organisms that are often found together, or even run large …show more content…
An appropriate swab is used in order to collect the material from the vaginal fornix, which is then placed into a small amount (approximately 0.5 to 1.0 milliliters) of normal saline. A drop of such saline preparation is deposited on a slide for microscopic observation with a 40× objective.
Trichomonas can be recognized in the preparation as it shows a distinguishing asynchronous motion known as quivering or twitching motility. Due to its size that is similar to white blood cells (which are often present in specimens taken from patients with a discharge), precautions must be taken to ensure that the observed organism is really motile.
The comparison with some newer diagnostic assays shows that wet preparation microscopy is 35 to 60 percent sensitive (even in symptomatic women), which also depends on the expertise of the microscopist. Nevertheless, observation of motile Trichomonas vaginalis is highly specific and, hence, quite useful for determining the adequate course of treatment.
Culture