Detection ofTrichomonas vaginalisUsing the Polymerase Chain Reaction in Pregnant andNon-Pregnant Women

[摘要] Objective:Trichomonas vaginalisvaginal infections are often both asymptomatic and difficult todetect by current methods. We evaluated the ability of a newly developed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay toidentifyT. vaginalisin vaginal samples from pregnant and non-pregnant women.Methods:In the 1st study, we compared the prevalence ofT. vaginalisdetection by PCR and cultureusing Diamond's medium in 52 women with symptoms of vaginal infection. In the 2nd study,T. vaginaliswas detected using PCR and wet mount microscopy in 131 asymptomatic pregnant women.Results:Among the women with symptoms of vaginitis, 7 (13.5%) were PCR-positive forT. vaginalis.Six of the PCR-positive women, but none of the PCR-negative women, were culture-positive for this organism. All but 1 of thewomen with candidal vaginitis or bacterial vaginosis were PCR-negative for T.vaginalis. Among the asymptomatic pregnant women, all of whom were negative forT. vaginalisby wet mount, l0 (7.6%) were PCR-positive forT. vaginalis.Conclusions:PCR offers a rapid and sensitive alternative to culture and microscopy for the detectionofT. vaginalisvaginal infections in both symptomatic and asymptomatic women.

[学科分类] 妇产科学