PREVALENCE OF TRICHOMONAS VAGINALIS AMONG FEMALE PATIENTS ATTENDING MYOM HOSPITAL GBOKO BENUE STATE NIGERIA

Diagnosis ot trichomonas vaginalis infection is traditionally performed by microscopic examination ot vaginal fluid. Although this technique is relatively insensitive compared with culture, it is widely used because of its lower cost and immediate results. Main Outcome Measure Microscopic examination of vaginal fluid and spun urine for presence ot motile trichomonads. Using a positive Trichomonas culture as the reference standard, the sensitivity o( vaginal fluid alone was compared with vaginal fluid plus spun urine. The McNemar test for paired samples was used to test the statistical significance ol the difference in sensitivities. Conclusion Microscopic examination of a spun urine specimen performed in conjunction with microscopic examination of a vaginal fluid specimen improves the detection rate of T vaginalis. Trichomoniasis is a common sexually transmitted disease. Although the infection is not reportable, prevalence rates in the United States suggest that approximately 6 million women and men are infected annually. Trichomonas vaginalis, the causative organism, is a motile protozoan parasite that infects the urogenital tract. Typical symptoms in women include vaginal discharge, dysuria, vulvar pruritis, vulvovaginal irritation, and occasionally lower abdominal pain. Nevertheless, as many as 50% of infections are asymptomatic. Trichomonads are often incidentally noted during microscopic examination of female patients' spun urine specimens. If clinicians have access to a centrifuge, the addition of a spun urine examination to routine wet mount examination might enhance detection of T vaginalis without adding significant expense. We sought to determine whether spun urine examination enhances detection of T vaginalis when combined with microscopic examination of vaginal fluid.