Prevalence and Clinical Aspects of Trichomonas vaginalis  Infection among High-Risk Women in Karaj, Iran

Amir  Bairami; Kourosh  Kabir; Behrouz Abbasi  Alaei; Saeed  Bahadory; Mostafa  Rezaeian

doi:10.18502/ijpa.v19i4.17168

Amir Bairami Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
Kourosh Kabir Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
Behrouz Abbasi Alaei Health Center, Fardis Prison, Karaj, Iran
Saeed Bahadory Deputy of Treatment, Imam Hasan Mojtaba Hospital, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
Mostafa Rezaeian Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijpa.v19i4.17168

Keywords: Trichomonas vaginalis; High-risk; Women; Iran

Abstract

Background: Trichomoniasis is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis, which causes health and emotional damages to the sufferers annually. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of T. vaginalis and its related risk factors among the high-risk women in the city of Karaj, central Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2021 and September 2022. In all 192 samples were taken from high-risk women referred to the center for vulnerable women and also from women in Fardis Prison of Karaj. All samples were examined by culture and microscopic method.

Results: The overall prevalence of T. vaginalis in high-risk women was estimated at 7.8% (15/192). Subgroup prevalence was also assessed according to the severity of symptoms, and no significant association was observed between the prevalence and the symptoms’ severity.

Conclusion: Due to the high prevalence of the parasite among vulnerable/high-risk women, particularly in people with poor socioeconomic conditions, preventive health measures in this high-risk group seem necessary. Nevertheless, given that men have no symptoms but may be carriers of the parasite, the same study is also recommended for men.