PCR based diagnostic assay targeting the beta tubulin gene for the detection of Trichomonas vaginalis infection in vaginal swab samples of symptomatic and asymptomatic women in India

Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) is one of the most prevalent, non-viral protozoan pathogens and the most common sexually transmitted organism in females, yet it is one of the least investigated infectious agents. An estimate of around 180 million new infections is found worldwide every year[1,2]. The high T. vaginalis prevalence worldwide is concentrated in developing countries and socioeconomic disadvantaged groups with a dramatic decline in T. vaginalis rates in some developed countries in the past few decades[2]. Symptomatic women with trichomoniasis usually complain of vaginal discharge, vulvovaginal soreness, and/or irritation. Dysuria and dyspareunia are also common[3] T. vaginalis can be asymptomatic in 10 to 50% of women[4,5]. The organism can be recovered in 11% of men attending sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics and from 30 to 60% of male sexual partners of infected women, usually as a self-limited mild urethritis[6]. It can be transmitted to neonates during passage through an infected birth canal (2 to 17%), but the infection is usually asymptomatic and self limited[7]. The incidence of trichomoniasis is highest in women with multiple partners and in groups with a high prevalence of other STDs[8]. Whether trichomoniasis is a risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus transmission or just a marker for high-risk heterosexual activity remains unclear[9]. An association of pelvic ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT