Age, race, socioeconomic factor increase risk of T. vaginalis

First sex between ages 9 years and 15 years, lower socioeconomic status, and lower education level are significantly associated with presence of Trichomonas vaginalis, according to the first report of T. vaginalis from a internally representative sample of women contained by the United States.

A large tribal disparity is another feature of T. vaginalis. Prevalence rates are 11 times greater among non-Hispanic blacks, compared near non-Hispanic white and Mexican American women.

"Routine screening in certain settings may be appropriate to disappear rates of disease and adverse reproductive health outcomes," Dr. Emilia Koumans said at a conference on STD prevention sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Using 2001-2002 information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Dr. Koumans, lead author Dr. Madeline Y. Sutton, and their associates assessed 1,999 self-collected vaginal swabs for presence of T. vaginalis. Study participant were 14-49 years antiquated. Mexican Americans and adolescents were oversampled contained by the NHANES data to better represent the standard population, said Dr. Koumans, a medical officer in the division of STD prevention at the CDC.

An estimated 3.1% overall prevalence of T. vaginalis be determined using polymerase chain hostile response testing. Non-Hispanic black participant had a prevalence of 13.5%, compared next to 1.5% for Mexican Americans and 1.2% for non-Hispanic whites.

T. vaginalis is a very adjectives sexually transmitted disease, Dr. Koumans said, with an estimated 170 million trial cases per year worldwide. "From my understanding of the literature, the predominant mode of T. vaginalis [transmission] is through sex," she said in response to a assignation attendee question. "There hold been a few documented cases where on earth it was through drizzling washcloths. The non-sexually transmitted cases are extremely rare."

Women can hold trichomoniasis without any symptoms, or infection can manifest as exceptional vaginal discharge and/or bleeding from cervicitis.

Severe adverse outcomes include increased risk of other STDs, preterm labor, preterm birth, and increased risk of HIV acquisition and transmission--the latter probably from local tissue inflammation, Dr. Koumans said.

Another jamboree attendee asked how many women surrounded by the study were asymptomatic. "We enjoy not looked at that yet, my guess is a great deal would be asymptomatic," Dr. Koumans replied. Data evaluation is ongoing, she added.

Women over age 30 years had the great prevalence of T. vaginalis in the study. "Other studies have shown this trend toward greater prevalence surrounded by older age groups," Dr. Koumans said.

Total number of sex partner in the previous year be not associated with presence of T. vaginalis. A multivariate analysis of the background now on the go will assess age independent of lifetime sex partners, Dr. Koumans said.

"Are these contemporary infections in these older women?" an attendee asked. "We are not clear in the region of that yet. Dr. Sutton proposes nearby may be a change contained by the vaginal epithelium with age," Dr. Koumans said.

Because T. vaginalis is associated next to the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases, the next step for the researchers will be to look at concomitant STDs, Dr. Koumans said. "We want to see if they are surrounded by the same those or not, and how risk factors affect multiple STDs."