Description

Trichomonas (or “trich”) is a very common sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by infection with a protozoan parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis. Although symptoms of the disease vary, most women and men who have the parasite cannot tell they are infected.

This organism is considered one of the most common curable, sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the United States. Some studies suggest that T vaginalis is more prevalent than Chlamydia trachomatis. Over seven million cases of T vaginalis are estimated to occur annually in both males and females. The actual number of cases may be underestimated since 1) infection with T vaginalis is not a reportable disease in the U.S and 2 a significant number of cases are asymptomatic (10 to 50%); and 3) most tests (excluding transcription mediated amplification [TMA]) are not sensitive enough to detect the presence of this parasite.