Prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis in a male sexually transmitted disease clinic population by interview, wet mount microscopy, and the InPouch TV test.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of trichomoniasis in male patients from their urine at a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Clinic using the InPouch TV culture system.

METHODS

Two hundred and four patients were examined for STD infections. Their ages ranged between 17 and 72 years. Depending on their clinical symptoms tests were ordered for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, chlamydia, and for syphilis. Each patient submitted a clean catch urine specimen for trichomonas testing. A 15 ml aliquot of urine was centrifuged and a drop of the sediment examined microscopically. The remainder was cultured in the InPouch TV test. Each pouch was examined at 24 h, 48 h, and 5 days.

RESULTS

Twenty-four of the 204 patients (12%) were culture positive for Trichomonas vaginalis and only three of these were wet mount positive.

CONCLUSION

The InPouch TV test demonstrated an epidemiological important infected male population that was not indicated by wet mount microscopy.