Frequency of Trichomoniasis and Related Risk Factors in the Women Referred to Bandar Abbas Health Centers, Iran, 2017-2018

Trichomonas vaginalis is one of the most important parasites transmitted through sexual contact. Therefore, it is considered a major public health problem. Best to our knowledge, there are no new reports about the prevalence of T. vaginalis in Bandar Abbas. The present study aimed to determine the frequency of T. vaginalis in women referred to the urban and rural health centers of Bandar Abbas, Iran. In addition, other risk factors associated with this parasite were investigated. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2017 and June 2018. Five hundred samples obtained from vaginal discharges or fluid were examined using wet mount and culture in Diamond medium. Moreover, the demographic data and related risk factors were gathered as a questionnaire. To analyze the data, SPSS ver. 20 was used and the statistical tests of chi-square and Fisher’s exact were applied. In this study, T. vaginalis was detected in 13 (2.6%) out of 500 samples of the vaginal discharges or fluids in which 12 (2.4%) were detected by wet mount and 13 (2.6%) by culture method, respectively. A significant difference was observed between the incidence of the parasite and place of residence, the level of education, and abortion. The relatively low parasite outbreak in the studied samples is likely as a result of continuous monitoring and appropriate treatment.