Sexually Transmitted Infections

Trichomonas vaginalis (TV)

Smiling couple walking in the woods with backpacks

Trichomoniasis – caused by infection with the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis –
is the most prevalent non-viral STI worldwide.1

Symptoms vary, but most people who have the parasite cannot tell that they are infected.2

70%-85% of those infected with TV don’t develop any symptoms.1

Millions of TV infections occur annually in the United States—more than new cases
of CT, GC and syphilis combined.3
 

The CDC estimates that TV affects approximately 3.7 million people in the United States.1
 

Trichomoniasis can increase the risk of getting or spreading other sexually transmitted infections.2 Diagnosis through laboratory testing is the best way to protect women from the negative effects of untreated TV.

 

TV is a very common and curable STI, but easily left untreated since so many patients are asymptomatic.

Despite its importance in human reproductive health and HIV transmission, TV is not a reportable disease and surveillance is not generally done. This is problematic since most persons infected with TV are asymptomatic.4

Serious adverse reproductive health outcomes, including pregnancy complications, pelvic inflammatory disease, and an increased risk of HIV acquisition, have been linked to TV infection.3

Screening women regularly may help protect them from the consequences of TV and other STIs.1

 

Screening for TV allows providers to identify asymptomatic cases of infection while reducing the risks associated with undiagnosed and untreated disease.1

What test should be used?

TV can be diagnosed via several ways, but evidence suggests that highly-sensitive nucleic acid amplification (NAAT) testing like the BD CTGCTV2 assay is more effective than other approaches.1,3

 

Include TV when you screen for STIs and you will target an infection with an estimated number of new cases greater than the combined number of new cases of CT, GC and syphilis in the US. 3,5,6

 

The BD CTGCTV2 assay goes one step further in testing for STIs by diagnosing TV in addition to GC and CT.3,5-7

Learn more

When should women be tested?

TV testing is recommended for women:

  • anytime they seek care for vaginal discharge

  • with HIV infection annually

Annual screening might also be considered for persons receiving care in high-prevalence settings, like STD clinics1

Sexually Transmitted Infections Diagnostic Challenges BD CTGCTV2 assay
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CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CT, Chlamydia trachomatis; GC, Neisseria gonorrhoeae; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; NAAT, nucleic acid amplification test; STD, sexually transmitted disease; STI, sexually transmitted infection; TV, Trichomonas vaginalis.

1. Workowski KA et al. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2021;70(4):1–187.
2. Trichomoniasis – CDC Fact Sheet, CDC. 2022. Accessed 10 Apr 2022. 
3. Coleman JS et al. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2013;68(1):43–50.
4. Kissinger P. BMC Infect Dis. 2015;15:307. 
5. Van Der Pol B et al. Sex Transm Dis. 2021;48(2):134–40.
6. Sexually Transmitted Infections Prevalence, Incidence, and Cost Estimates in the United States, CDC. 2021. Accessed 29 Apr 2022.
7. BD CTGCTV2 for BD MAX™ System Package Insert [P0237].