Can Transport Medium Maintain Trichomonas Vaginalis Viability?

A key question examined in the study was whether Amies gel agar transport medium can maintain the viability of Trichomonas vaginalis for up to 24 hours after specimen collection. The results showed that using the transport method, T. vaginalis was detected in 62 out of 68 infected women, compared to 64 out of 68 using immediate inoculation. There was no statistically significant difference between the two methods in terms of sensitivity (91.2% for transport vs 94.1% for immediate inoculation). This suggests that transport medium can effectively preserve T. vaginalis viability for at least 24 hours.

How does transport method compare to wet mount for T. vaginalis detection?

The study also compared the performance of the transport method to vaginal wet mount preparation, the most common diagnostic technique for trichomonosis. Wet mount had a much lower sensitivity than either culture method at 63%. The positive and negative predictive values for each method provides further evidence that transport medium performs comparably to immediate inoculation for T. vaginalis detection and much better than wet prep.

What are the implications for screening and diagnosis?

The ability of transport medium to maintain T. vaginalis viability could increase screening opportunities for this prevalent curable infection. Many clinicians lack the needed tools (microscope, culture medium) to diagnose trichomonosis. The transport technique overcomes some barriers and provides a way to get specimens to a laboratory for culture. This could lead to increased case finding and treatment. Better diagnostic accuracy compared to wet mount could also benefit individual patients with symptoms of vaginitis.

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References

Viability of Trichomonas vaginalis in Transport Medium