Study of Trichomonas vaginalis Infection in Women Visiting Health Centers in Bahar City and Determination of Metronidazole Susceptibility of the Isolated Parasites

Abstract

Background and Objective: Trichomoniasis is one of the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Thus, we aimed to determine the prevalence of this infection among women in Bahar city, Iran, and evaluate drug susceptibility of the isolated parasites. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 850 females visiting the health centers of Bahar city, during 2016. The diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis infection was carried out by using wet mount and Dorset culture medium. In the next step, the obtained parasites were transferred to Diamond Medium and after the preparation of their pure cultures, they were placed under laboratory and aerobic conditions to test their drug sensitivity. Results: Four (0.5%) isolates of T. vaginalis were obtained from the participants. Drug sensitivity of the isolates after 48 h ranged between 1.6 and 25 µg/ml, with the mean and standard deviation of 12.6±8.26 µg/ml. Conclusion: We found that the prevalence of trichomoniasis in the studied women in this region is lower than most parts of Iran. Due to the importance of this infection, this prevalence rate is significant and needs proper diagnosis and treament.

Keywords

• epidemiology
• metronidazole
• parasitic sensitivity test
• trichomonas vaginalis