Description
Trichomonas vaginalisis a single celled, pathogenic, protozoan parasite with only a trophozoite phase and no cyst stage. This organism is pear shaped with a characteristic undulating membrane and is highly motile. Since there is no cyst stage, T vaginalis does not survive long outside the host.Trichomonas vaginalis RNA, Qualitative Transcription-Mediated Amplification (TMA) assay is a nucleic acid amplification test that uses TMA for detection of T. vaginalis RNA in vaginal swabs (preferred), female urine, or endocervical swabs. It is used in the screening and diagnosis of trichomoniasis. When the clinical performance of this assay was evaluated, sensitivity was 100% in vaginal swab, endocervical swab, and PreservCyt Solution liquid PAP specimens. Specificity was 98.2% in vaginal swab specimens and 98.1% in endocervical swab specimens .
Trichomoniasis is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It is curable. About 70% of people infected with T. vaginalis are asymptomatic, though symptoms may show up after the infection has been present for some time. In women, symptoms include vaginal and/or urethral discharge, painful urination and genital burning and discomfort .
In women, untreated T. vaginalis infection can lead to infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and cervical neoplasia. T. vaginalis infection is associated with a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of HIV infection in women, as well as increased risk of preterm labor .
Additional screening is recommended for HIV-infected women at the first HIV-related visit, with follow-up T. vaginalis testing annually. For pregnant women with HIV infection, T. vaginalis screening is recommended at the first prenatal visit .
A "detected" result is consistent with T. vaginalis infection. False-positive results could be obtained from sampling less than 2 weeks after cessation of therapy, since TMA-based tests can detect nucleic acids from dead organisms. A "not detected" result is consistent with the absence of T. vaginalis infection. False-negative results could be obtained due to an organism concentration below the assay detection limit .Thus Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common curable sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Infections in women can range from no symptoms to severe inflammatory vaginitis. In men, this infection typically shows no symptoms but is increasingly being recognized as a cause of non-gonococcal urethritis (inflammation of the urethra). This parasite only infects the urogenital (urinary and genital) tract.
