Trichomoniasis (trich) is an infectious disease caused by the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. About 70% of affected people do not have symptoms when infected. When symptoms occur, they typically begin 5 to 28 days after exposure. Symptoms can include itching in the genital area, a bad smelling thin vaginal discharge, burning with urination, and pain with sex. Having trichomoniasis increases the risk of getting HIV/AIDS. It may also cause complications during pregnancy.Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) which is most often spread through vaginal, oral, or anal sex. It can also spread through genital touching. People who are infected may spread the disease even when symptoms are not present. Diagnosis is by finding the parasite in the vaginal fluid using a microscope, culturing the vaginal fluid or urine, or testing for the parasites DNA. If present, other STIs should be tested for.Methods of prevention include not having sex, using condoms, not douching, and being tested for STIs before having sex with a new partner. Although not caused by a bacteria, trichomoniasis can be cured with certain antibiotics (metronidazole, tinidazole, secnidazole). Sexual partners should also be treated. About 20% of people get infected again within three months of treatment.There were about 122 million new cases of trichomoniasis in 2015. In the United States, there are about 2 million women affected. It occurs more often in women than men. Trichomonas vaginalis was first identified in 1836 by Alfred Donné. It was first recognized as causing this disease in 1916.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends trichomoniasis testing for females with vaginal discharge and can be considered for females at higher risk for infection or of HIV-positive serostatus.The advent of new, highly specific and sensitive trichomoniasis tests present opportunities for new screening protocols for both men and women. Careful planning, discussion, and research are required to determine the cost-efficiency and most beneficial use of these new tests for the diagnosis and treatment of trichomoniasis in the U.S., which can lead to better prevention efforts.A number of strategies have been found to improve follow-up for STI testing including email and text messaging as reminders of appointments. Screening
Evidence from a randomized controlled trials for screening pregnant women who do not have symptoms for infection with trichomoniasis and treating women who test positive for the infection have not consistently shown a reduced risk of preterm birth. Further studies are needed to verify this result and determine the best method of screening. In the US, screening of pregnant women without any symptoms is only recommended in those with HIV as Trichomonas infection is associated with increased risk of transmitting HIV to the fetus. Treatment
Treatment for both pregnant and non-pregnant women is usually with metronidazole, by mouth once. Caution should be used in pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. Sexual partners, even if they have no symptoms, should also be treated. Single oral dose of nitroimidazole is sufficient to kill the parasites.For 95–97% of cases, infection is resolved after one dose of metronidazole.