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Laboratory Diagnostic Methods and Cryopreservation of Trichomonads

  • Chapter
Trichomonads Parasitic in Humans

Abstract

Because specific treatment for trichomoniasis is available, it is important to identify infected people so that disease in the individual can be terminated and the sexual transmission of the organism prevented. The classic symptoms of the disease in women are a thin yellow offensive vaginal discharge, pruritus vulvae or vulval soreness, dyspareunia, and dysuria. A reddened vaginal wall with frothy thin yellow exudate in the posterior fornix and punctate red spots on the ectocervix (“strawberry cervix”) may be seen.1 These features, however, are not always present and are not pathognomonic of trichomoniasis. Although about 50% of women infected with T. vaginalis notice an increased vaginal discharge, a similar proportion of non-infected women give a similar history.23 Since about 18% and 12% of infected and nonin-fected women respectively have dysuria, this is not a helpful diagnostic feature.2 An abnormal discharge in the vaginal fornices may be seen more frequently in infected women (about 50%) than in noninfected individuals (about 22%),3 but this is described as “frothy” in only 12% of cases.2 The strawberry cervix is rarely seen.

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  1. Alexander McMillan
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Parasitology Department of Zoology, University of Massachusetts, 01003, Amherst, MA, USA

    B. M. Honigberg PhD (Professor) (Professor)

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McMillan, A. (1990). Laboratory Diagnostic Methods and Cryopreservation of Trichomonads. In: Honigberg, B.M. (eds) Trichomonads Parasitic in Humans. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3224-7_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3224-7_16

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