Trichomoniasis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Normal uterine anatomy (cut section)

Trichomoniasis

Alternative Names:

Trichomonas vaginitis; "Trich"
Symptoms:

Females:

discomfort with intercourse
vaginal itching
profuse, greenish-yellow, frothy or foamy, vaginal discharge with a foul or strong smell (malodorous)
labial swelling or vulvar itching
itching of the inner thighs

Males:

burning after urination or ejaculation
itching of urethra
slight discharge from urethra

Signs and tests:

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A pelvic examination reveals red blotches on the vaginal wall or cervix. It may also reveal a distinctive, inflamed "strawberry cervix."

A wet prep (microscopic examination of discharge) demonstrates rapidly moving (motile) trichomonads in the vaginal secretions.
A pap smear may also detect the presence of the organism.

In men, the disease can be hard to diagnose without special culture techniques, but men are treated presumptively if infection is diagnosed in female sexual partners.

Men may also be treated presumptively if they have ongoing symptoms of urethral burning and/or itching despite treatment for gonorrhea and chlamydia.