Trichomoniasis in Asymptomatic Patients

Abstract

Background: Trichomoniasis is an extremely common infection worldwide and is associated with important public health prob­lems, including amplification of HIV transmission. This disease is in forms of symptomatic and asymptomatic in women and may depend on host as well as parasite variables. Thus the aim of this study was to evaluate the patients attend­ing gynecology clinic with different symptoms and checked them for Trichomonas vaginalis infection.
Methods: The vaginal secretion and urine samples of the patients attending gynecology clinic, Imam Reza Hospital, Amol City, were checked by direct smear and cultured in TYI-S-33 culture media.
Results: Out of 853 samples collected, 8(0.9%) were positive for T. vaginalis and the number of asymptomatic patients for tricho­moniasis were 1.3 times more than infected samples belong to symptomatic ones.  Per speculum examination revealed that 75% of T. vaginalis positive subjects had normal appearance of vagina and cervix.
Conclusion: According to the epidemiological aspects, these asymptomatic patients are very important as healthy carriers, and T.vaginalis infections are commonly associated with other STDs and are a marker of high-risk sexual behavior. Thus laborato­ries could play important role for diagnosis of infection and help the physicians for properly treatment.