HOME JOURNALS CONTACT

International Journal of Tropical Medicine

The Prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis in HIV-Positive and Negative Patients in Referral Hospitals in Goiania, Goias, Brazil
Patricia Abreu Pinheiro de Lemos and Marco Tulio Antonio Garcia-Zapata

Abstract: The frequency of Trichomonas vaginalis infection in HIV-positive and negative women attending hospitals in Goiania, Brazil was evaluated using the gold standard diagnostic method of culture. A total of 237 vaginal swab specimens were examined: 125 (52.7%) comprising the HIV-positive group and 112 (47.3%) the HIV-negative control group. T. vaginalis was detected in 13.5% of the women, 23 (18.4%) of whom were HIV-positive while 9 (8.0%) were HIV-negative. This difference was statistically significant however, infection by this parasite was not found to be associated with immune status. T. vaginalis was found in 23.1% of the pregnant women and there was a statistically significant difference in the rate of infection by this parasite between the pregnant HIV-positive and the pregnant HIV-negative women (25.8% versus 12.5%). T. vaginalis was more prevalent in HIV-positive compared to HIV-negative women however, no association was found between the infection and the immune status of the patients.

How to cite this article
Patricia Abreu Pinheiro de Lemos and Marco Tulio Antonio Garcia-Zapata, 2010. The Prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis in HIV-Positive and Negative Patients in Referral Hospitals in Goiania, Goias, Brazil. International Journal of Tropical Medicine, 5: 24-27.

© Medwell Journals. All Rights Reserved