Prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis by polymerase chain reaction-based molecular method among symptomatic women from Northern India

INTRODUCTION: Trichomoniasis remains one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, which is curable. To prevent complications and transmission, prompt and correct diagnosis is essential to treat Trichomonas vaginalis. The present study was done to evaluate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with other conventional techniques for the diagnosis of T. vaginalis infection and determine the prevalence of T. vaginalis in women with vaginal discharge based on PCR assay. METHODS: Vaginal swabs were collected by the trained health-care professional using FLOQSwabs™ (Copan, Italy) during routine pelvic examinations among 1974 symptomatic females. The wet microscopy, culture, and PCR were performed. RESULTS: The sensitivity of wet mount and culture in comparison to PCR was 60.87% and 56.52%, respectively. The kappa inter-rater agreement of T. vaginalis PCR showed substantial agreement with wet mount microscopy (κ = 0.742) and culture (κ = 0.707). The PCR detected an additional 17 cases that were missed by conventional techniques. DISCUSSION: The study highlights the importance of PCR for T. vaginalis screening among symptomatic females.