Trichomonas vaginalis and associated factors among women living with HIV/AIDS in Amazonas, Brazil.

OBJECTIVES

Our goal was to determine the prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis and its associated factors among women living with HIV attending an AIDS clinic in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study among women attending an AIDS clinic in Manaus between March and December 2010 for gynecological examination were invited to participate. Enrolled patients answered a face-to-face interview including demographic, behavioral and clinical data. They also underwent a gynecological evaluation and cervical scrape samples were collected for wet mount, Gram stain, culture and cytological analysis. A blood sample was obtained to determine TCD4+ lymphocytes and viral load.

RESULTS

A total of 341 (91.2%) women participated in the study. The prevalence of T. vaginalis was 4.1% (95% CI: 2.0-6.2%). Median age was 32 (interquartile range 27-38) years and median years of schooling was 9.0 (interquartile range 4-11). A total of 165 (53.2%) HIV women were classified as patients with AIDS. In multivariate analyses, squamous intraepithelial lesions in cytology [OR=2.46 (95% CI: 1.31-4.63, p=0.005)] and anal sex practice [OR=3.62 (95% CI: 1.08-12.19, p=0.037)] were associated with T. vaginalis.

CONCLUSIONS

These results highlight that HIV-infected women should be screened for T. vaginalis. The control of this infection may have an impact on preventing reproductive complications among these women.