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Trichomonas vaginalis is very rare among women with vaginal discharge in Podlaskie province, Poland
Author(s) -
Serwin Agnieszka Beata,
BulhakKoziol Violetta,
Sokolowska Marianna,
Golparian Daniel,
Unemo Magnus
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/apm.12713
Subject(s) - trichomoniasis , trichomonas vaginalis , vaginal discharge , medicine , gynecology , pathogen , obstetrics , immunology
Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common curable sexually transmitted pathogen globally. However, in the European Union ( EU ), trichomoniasis appears to be a rare condition. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of T. vaginalis among females attending an STI centre in Bialystok, Poland, using the highly sensitive and specific APTIMA T. vaginalis assay. Consecutive females, referred by gynaecologists mainly because of abnormal vaginal discharge, were diagnosed using wet mount microscopy, culture and APTIMA T. vaginalis assay. Among 272 women studied, 82% were pre‐ and 18% postmenopausal. The average age was 36.0 ± 13.9 (range: 18–86) years. Abnormal discharge (alone or accompanied by itch or vulvovaginal burning) was the most frequent complain in both groups (66.2% and 48.0%). Erythema and discharge were the most frequent abnormal signs (58.6% and 56.0%). Not a single T. vaginalis ‐positive sample was detected using wet mount microscopy, culture or APTIMA T. vaginalis assay. Despite using the highly sensitive APTIMA T. vaginalis assay for detection, the pathogen could not be identified in females in the studied setting, similar to results from other EU settings. The need for general screening using NAAT for this pathogen while diagnosing vulvovaginal symptoms in females in Poland appears to be low.