Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of <i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i>

Obunge Orikomaba Korifama; Oboro Ibinabo Laura; Onyejepu Nneka; Alex-Wele Mary Adanma

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14

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Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis

Obunge Orikomaba Korifama, Oboro Ibinabo Laura, Onyejepu Nneka, Alex-Wele Mary Adanma

Published in International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy (Volume 5, Issue 2)

Received: 22 May 2020 Accepted: 9 June 2020 Published: 20 June 2020

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Abstract

Trichomoniasis is the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Apart from being a key biologic indicator of sexual activity, it’s been associated with the transmission of Human Immunodeficiency virus. The use of vaginal speculum is traditionally required for specimen collection. The limited application of this step in various primary health care facilities in resource-poor settings due to difficulties with sterilization of speculae among others, has grossly reduced the offer of testing for Trichomoniasis. Self-collected vaginal swab could be an acceptable alternative specimen for diagnosis of trichomoniasis in these settings. We compared the yield of Trichomonas vaginalis from speculum and non-speculum based specimens. Five hundred women between 18 – 45 years presenting with abnormal vaginal discharge in two health care facilities in Rivers State, Nigeria, were enrolled. Three specimens were collected from each woman; two non-speculum based /non-invasive and the third, speculum based. Microscopists were trained and the procedure standardized. Wet mount microscopy was performed on all specimens within thirty minutes of collection. Three Microscopists examined each specimen independently. All infected patients were managed according to existing guidelines. Ethical approval was obtained and data analyzed using SPSS version 21. Median age of participants was 31 years. Of the 500 women, 53 were infected giving an overall prevalence of 10.6%. Using the speculum-based specimens, 90.5% (48) of infected women were detected while 83.0% (44) and 30.1% (16) were detected using the self-collected swab and first void urine respectively. Interestingly, first void urine was able to detect five (5) more cases that were not detected by the speculum-based method. In low income settings, use of self-collected swabs in combination with first void urine is likely to increase detection rate of Trichomonas vaginalis when compared with the use of speculum-based specimen only.

Published in	International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy (Volume 5, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14
Page(s)	41-44
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Trichomoniasis, Speculum, Diagnosis, Trichomonas vaginalis

References

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[32]	Van Der Pol B, Williams JA, Taylor SN, Cammarata CL, Rivers CA, Body BA, Nye M, Fuller D, Schwebke JR, Barnes M, Gaydos CA. Detection of Trichomonas vaginalis DNA by Use of Self-Obtained Vaginal Swabs with the BD ProbeTec Qx Assay on the BD Viper System Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Feb 2014, 52 (3) 885-889; DOI: 10.1128/JCM.02966-13.

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APA Style

Obunge Orikomaba Korifama, Oboro Ibinabo Laura, Onyejepu Nneka, Alex-Wele Mary Adanma. (2020). Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis. International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy, 5(2), 41-44. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14

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ACS Style

Obunge Orikomaba Korifama; Oboro Ibinabo Laura; Onyejepu Nneka; Alex-Wele Mary Adanma. Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis. Int. J. Infect. Dis. Ther. 2020, 5(2), 41-44. doi: 10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14

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AMA Style

Obunge Orikomaba Korifama, Oboro Ibinabo Laura, Onyejepu Nneka, Alex-Wele Mary Adanma. Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis. Int J Infect Dis Ther. 2020;5(2):41-44. doi: 10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14,
  author = {Obunge Orikomaba Korifama and Oboro Ibinabo Laura and Onyejepu Nneka and Alex-Wele Mary Adanma},
  title = {Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis},
  journal = {International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy},
  volume = {5},
  number = {2},
  pages = {41-44},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijidt.20200502.14},
  abstract = {Trichomoniasis is the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Apart from being a key biologic indicator of sexual activity, it’s been associated with the transmission of Human Immunodeficiency virus. The use of vaginal speculum is traditionally required for specimen collection. The limited application of this step in various primary health care facilities in resource-poor settings due to difficulties with sterilization of speculae among others, has grossly reduced the offer of testing for Trichomoniasis. Self-collected vaginal swab could be an acceptable alternative specimen for diagnosis of trichomoniasis in these settings. We compared the yield of Trichomonas vaginalis from speculum and non-speculum based specimens. Five hundred women between 18 – 45 years presenting with abnormal vaginal discharge in two health care facilities in Rivers State, Nigeria, were enrolled. Three specimens were collected from each woman; two non-speculum based /non-invasive and the third, speculum based. Microscopists were trained and the procedure standardized. Wet mount microscopy was performed on all specimens within thirty minutes of collection. Three Microscopists examined each specimen independently. All infected patients were managed according to existing guidelines. Ethical approval was obtained and data analyzed using SPSS version 21. Median age of participants was 31 years. Of the 500 women, 53 were infected giving an overall prevalence of 10.6%. Using the speculum-based specimens, 90.5% (48) of infected women were detected while 83.0% (44) and 30.1% (16) were detected using the self-collected swab and first void urine respectively. Interestingly, first void urine was able to detect five (5) more cases that were not detected by the speculum-based method. In low income settings, use of self-collected swabs in combination with first void urine is likely to increase detection rate of Trichomonas vaginalis when compared with the use of speculum-based specimen only.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis
AU  - Obunge Orikomaba Korifama
AU  - Oboro Ibinabo Laura
AU  - Onyejepu Nneka
AU  - Alex-Wele Mary Adanma
Y1  - 2020/06/20
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14
T2  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
JF  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
JO  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
SP  - 41
EP  - 44
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2578-966X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14
AB  - Trichomoniasis is the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Apart from being a key biologic indicator of sexual activity, it’s been associated with the transmission of Human Immunodeficiency virus. The use of vaginal speculum is traditionally required for specimen collection. The limited application of this step in various primary health care facilities in resource-poor settings due to difficulties with sterilization of speculae among others, has grossly reduced the offer of testing for Trichomoniasis. Self-collected vaginal swab could be an acceptable alternative specimen for diagnosis of trichomoniasis in these settings. We compared the yield of Trichomonas vaginalis from speculum and non-speculum based specimens. Five hundred women between 18 – 45 years presenting with abnormal vaginal discharge in two health care facilities in Rivers State, Nigeria, were enrolled. Three specimens were collected from each woman; two non-speculum based /non-invasive and the third, speculum based. Microscopists were trained and the procedure standardized. Wet mount microscopy was performed on all specimens within thirty minutes of collection. Three Microscopists examined each specimen independently. All infected patients were managed according to existing guidelines. Ethical approval was obtained and data analyzed using SPSS version 21. Median age of participants was 31 years. Of the 500 women, 53 were infected giving an overall prevalence of 10.6%. Using the speculum-based specimens, 90.5% (48) of infected women were detected while 83.0% (44) and 30.1% (16) were detected using the self-collected swab and first void urine respectively. Interestingly, first void urine was able to detect five (5) more cases that were not detected by the speculum-based method. In low income settings, use of self-collected swabs in combination with first void urine is likely to increase detection rate of Trichomonas vaginalis when compared with the use of speculum-based specimen only.
VL  - 5
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Obunge Orikomaba Korifama

Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Oboro Ibinabo Laura

Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Onyejepu Nneka

Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Nigeria Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria
Alex-Wele Mary Adanma

Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

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APA Style

Obunge Orikomaba Korifama, Oboro Ibinabo Laura, Onyejepu Nneka, Alex-Wele Mary Adanma. (2020). Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis. International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy, 5(2), 41-44. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14

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ACS Style

Obunge Orikomaba Korifama; Oboro Ibinabo Laura; Onyejepu Nneka; Alex-Wele Mary Adanma. Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis. Int. J. Infect. Dis. Ther. 2020, 5(2), 41-44. doi: 10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14

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AMA Style

Obunge Orikomaba Korifama, Oboro Ibinabo Laura, Onyejepu Nneka, Alex-Wele Mary Adanma. Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis. Int J Infect Dis Ther. 2020;5(2):41-44. doi: 10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14,
  author = {Obunge Orikomaba Korifama and Oboro Ibinabo Laura and Onyejepu Nneka and Alex-Wele Mary Adanma},
  title = {Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis},
  journal = {International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy},
  volume = {5},
  number = {2},
  pages = {41-44},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijidt.20200502.14},
  abstract = {Trichomoniasis is the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Apart from being a key biologic indicator of sexual activity, it’s been associated with the transmission of Human Immunodeficiency virus. The use of vaginal speculum is traditionally required for specimen collection. The limited application of this step in various primary health care facilities in resource-poor settings due to difficulties with sterilization of speculae among others, has grossly reduced the offer of testing for Trichomoniasis. Self-collected vaginal swab could be an acceptable alternative specimen for diagnosis of trichomoniasis in these settings. We compared the yield of Trichomonas vaginalis from speculum and non-speculum based specimens. Five hundred women between 18 – 45 years presenting with abnormal vaginal discharge in two health care facilities in Rivers State, Nigeria, were enrolled. Three specimens were collected from each woman; two non-speculum based /non-invasive and the third, speculum based. Microscopists were trained and the procedure standardized. Wet mount microscopy was performed on all specimens within thirty minutes of collection. Three Microscopists examined each specimen independently. All infected patients were managed according to existing guidelines. Ethical approval was obtained and data analyzed using SPSS version 21. Median age of participants was 31 years. Of the 500 women, 53 were infected giving an overall prevalence of 10.6%. Using the speculum-based specimens, 90.5% (48) of infected women were detected while 83.0% (44) and 30.1% (16) were detected using the self-collected swab and first void urine respectively. Interestingly, first void urine was able to detect five (5) more cases that were not detected by the speculum-based method. In low income settings, use of self-collected swabs in combination with first void urine is likely to increase detection rate of Trichomonas vaginalis when compared with the use of speculum-based specimen only.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Comparison of Speculum and Non-speculum Vaginal Specimens in the Diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis
AU  - Obunge Orikomaba Korifama
AU  - Oboro Ibinabo Laura
AU  - Onyejepu Nneka
AU  - Alex-Wele Mary Adanma
Y1  - 2020/06/20
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14
T2  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
JF  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
JO  - International Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy
SP  - 41
EP  - 44
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2578-966X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijidt.20200502.14
AB  - Trichomoniasis is the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Apart from being a key biologic indicator of sexual activity, it’s been associated with the transmission of Human Immunodeficiency virus. The use of vaginal speculum is traditionally required for specimen collection. The limited application of this step in various primary health care facilities in resource-poor settings due to difficulties with sterilization of speculae among others, has grossly reduced the offer of testing for Trichomoniasis. Self-collected vaginal swab could be an acceptable alternative specimen for diagnosis of trichomoniasis in these settings. We compared the yield of Trichomonas vaginalis from speculum and non-speculum based specimens. Five hundred women between 18 – 45 years presenting with abnormal vaginal discharge in two health care facilities in Rivers State, Nigeria, were enrolled. Three specimens were collected from each woman; two non-speculum based /non-invasive and the third, speculum based. Microscopists were trained and the procedure standardized. Wet mount microscopy was performed on all specimens within thirty minutes of collection. Three Microscopists examined each specimen independently. All infected patients were managed according to existing guidelines. Ethical approval was obtained and data analyzed using SPSS version 21. Median age of participants was 31 years. Of the 500 women, 53 were infected giving an overall prevalence of 10.6%. Using the speculum-based specimens, 90.5% (48) of infected women were detected while 83.0% (44) and 30.1% (16) were detected using the self-collected swab and first void urine respectively. Interestingly, first void urine was able to detect five (5) more cases that were not detected by the speculum-based method. In low income settings, use of self-collected swabs in combination with first void urine is likely to increase detection rate of Trichomonas vaginalis when compared with the use of speculum-based specimen only.
VL  - 5
IS  - 2
ER  -

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