Trichomoniasis: Study of the Disease and its Treatment

Abstract

Trichomonas vaginalis is commonly found in the genito-urinary tract. One or more tests for tri- chomonal infestation were carried out on 1,424 women attending the Whitechapel Clinic of The London Hospital during the year beginning July 1, 1960, and 449 (31-5 per cent.) of the patients were found to be harbouring the parasite. Of this number, 391 had a single episode of infestation in the year under review, 52 had two episodes, and 6 had three. An attack of trichomoniasis was recorded as a separate episode if a period of three months or more had elapsed since the treatment of a previous attack. Thus 513 episodes were recorded, amounting to 38 per cent. of the total of 1,355 cases of sexually trans- mitted disease diagnosed during the year under review. Search for the parasite is therefore essential in the cases of all women investigated for such disease.