Prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis among Pregnant Women Attending Ante-Natal Care in Kano, Nigeria

Abstract

Trichomoniasis, caused by the protozoan parasite, Trichomonas vaginalis, is a common but curable sexually transmitted disease affecting millions around the world. The study was aimed to determine the prevalence of T. vaginalis among pregnant women attending ante-natal care at Yan-awaki maternity in Kano, Northern Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among one hundred and eighty-four (184) pregnant women attending the hospital. A total of 184 High Vaginal Swabs (HVS) were collected the pregnant women with their consent and examined for the presence of T. vaginalis microscopically. From the result, T. vaginalis was detected in 23 out of the 184 samples which accounted for 12.5% of the pregnant women. The pregnant women between the age category 26-30 years had the highest prevalence of 4.34 % while the least prevalence was recorded among pregnant women of age category above 40, though the difference in the prevalence among ages is not significant at p<0.05. On the basis of the gestation period, pregnant women in the first trimester had the highest prevalence than that of second and third trimesters. It is concluded that Trichomoniasis is one of the infections of pregnant women.