Therapy of Urogenital Trichomoniasis

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Trichomonas vaginalis was discovered in 18361 and although it was known to cause vaginitis since 1916,2 a half-century passed before effective treatment was found for this common infection. During the interim period, the infection went untreated, occasionally resolved spontaneously, or it was treated with a variety of intravaginal preparations for long periods of time. These preparations, although helpful for some patients, were cumbersome to use for both patient and clinician, did not eradicate periurethral gland infections, and were unpredictably effective. A comparative study of some of these treatments revealed cure rates of only 22% to 40%.3 Also there was no treatment for trichomoniasis in the male. It became evident that a systemic treatment for this infection was needed.