According to a December 2005 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, infections caused by Trichomonas vaginalis are widespread among adolescent girls in the United States.

According to Dr. J. Dennis Fortenberry of Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, this infection is prevalent in adolescent girls and is often characterized by prolonged asymptomatic course, so there is a need to examine this population.

Researchers studied the prevalence, frequency, sources of infection and effectiveness of treatment for trichomoniasis in 268 adolescent girls seeking outpatient care. The average age of the patients was 15.4 years, 86.9% of those examined were African-American.

In 6% of patients, trichomoniasis was diagnosed during the study visit; in 23.2% of patients, at least one episode of infection was observed during the follow-up period. In 31.6% of patients, several episodes of infection were observed throughout the duration of the study (up to 4 separate episodes of infection in 2 girls).

The therapy of 42 episodes of infection was successful, in 3 cases, clinical ineffectiveness was recorded. With successful treatment for 2 weeks after the end of treatment, the DNA of T. vaginalis was not detected. In 3 cases of persistent infection, T. vaginalis was detected in the laboratory for 8 to 12 weeks after the end of treatment, but repeated treatment led to the eradication of the pathogen.

According to the researchers, the appearance of trichomoniasis in individuals under observation does not mean that they have had additional sexual contact, and is often a consequence of the clinical course of the infection.

Poorly prepared smears and the absence of pathological discharge from the vagina are often the reasons for the inadequate diagnosis of trichomoniasis.

Given the risk of complications from trichomoniasis (including adverse outcomes of pregnancy and HIV infection) and the availability of effective treatment methods for this infection, the results indicate the need to develop treatment programs trichomoniasis control and chlamydia and gonorrhea control programs.

Right now, there is a need to take important steps to reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted infections - first, to train sexually active youth in the consistent use of condoms. Researchers also believe that more funding is needed for clinics involved in the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.