A Review on Diagnostic Methods for Trichomonas Vaginalis

Abstract

Introduction: Trichomoniasis is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection in the world, caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis, which infects the urogenital tract of men and women. Approximately, 250 million new cases of Trichomonas vaginalis Infection are reported worldwide each year. Trichomoniasis is also considered an important HIV co-infection. The infection is often asymptomatic but can be accompanied by symptoms such as severe inflammation, itching and irritation, foamy discharge, and malodorous smell mucus, but the signs and symptoms of the disease are not sufficient for specific diagnosis.
 Material and Methods: In this study, the websites of PubMed, Google Scholar, SID, and Margiran were searched and related articles were reviewed.
 Results: Only screening and the use of highly sensitive and specific diagnostic methods can identify asymptomatic individuals. Today, the most common way to diagnose the infection is to use wet slide, Pap smear and culture methods that do not have high sensitivity and specificity. Also, due to the increase in infection and its complications, finding an efficient, rapid, and easy test to detect the parasite and differentiate Trichomoniasis vaginitis from other sexually transmitted diseases is considered important and necessary.
 Conclusion: Nowadays, there are several diagnostic methods that differentiate trichomoniasis infection from other sexually transmitted infections with high accuracy and sensitivity. Of course, existing diagnostic methods mostly use women's urine and vaginal samples for diagnosis, and methods that specifically diagnose the infection in men are more limited.