The plastic envelope method, a simplified technique for culture diagnosis of trichomoniasis

Abstract

Although culture of Trichomonas vaginalis is more sensitive than wet mounts in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis, the lack of convenience of culture prevents it from being widely used. To improve the acceptability of diagnosis by culture, a plastic envelope method (PEM) was devised. PEM permits both immediate examination and culture in one self-contained system. The medium consists of dry ingredients that are reconstituted with water before use. The effectiveness of immediate examinations by PEM was compared with that of wet mounts, and the effectiveness of culture by PEM was compared with that of culture in Trichomonas Medium No. 2 (Oxoid). Of 710 vaginal secretion specimens from symptomatic and asymptomatic women that were tested by the four methods, 62 (9%o) were positive for T. vaginalis. The sensitivity was 66% by wet mount, 66% by immediate examination by PEM, 89% by cultures in Oxoid medium, and 97% by culture by PEM. The two culture methods had equivalent sensitivities but were significantly (P < 0.0001) more sensitive than the two immediate methods. The combined immediate examination by PEM plus culture was more convenient to use than wet mounts plus culture in Oxoid medium. The long shelf-life of PEM's dry medium and its anticipated low cost are additional advantages.

Diagnosis and molecular characterization ofTrichomonas vaginalisin sex workers in the Philippines

“…In this study, the sensitivity of the wet mount method is 77% which is comparable to that reported by previous researchers. [18][19][20][21] Wet mount technique requires at least 10 4 organisms per milliliter of vaginal fluids in order to detect a positive sample. 22 The tube wet mount method described in this study was an alternative to the glass slide method commonly used in laboratories.…”

“…24 The sensitivity of culture in this study was 97% and specificity was 100% consistent with previous reports. 13,[18][19][20][21][24][25][26] In the comparative analysis between PCR and wet mount with culture as the gold standard, two samples were found to be PCR positive but culture negative. If the gold standard was culture alone, these two samples would have been considered false positive.…”

Glycogen Accumulation and Degradation by the Trichomonads Trichomonas vaginalis and Trichomonas tenax

“…The organisms were grown in a medium based on one described by Hollander (1976). This medium was modified by the inclusion of 0.1 mg/ml of cysteine and 8 lg/ml of vitamin B 12 , as described by Beal et al (1992), and the addition of a mixture of 50 U/ml of penicillin G and 50 lg/ml of streptomycin sulfate. Routine culture was carried out at 35°C in 25cm 2 tissue culture flasks containing 10 ml of growth medium.…”

Guidelines for the laboratory diagnosis of trichomoniasis in East European countries

“…Vaginal d Clean external genitalia using a sterile gauze swab moistened with sterile physiological saline d Insert a warmed gynaecological speculum moistened with sterile saline d Material is obtained under direct vision from the posterior and lateral fornices of the vagina using sterile cotton ⁄ dacron swabs or disposable 10 lL bacteriological loops d In women who have undergone hysterectomy, specimens are taken from lateral fornices of the vagina d Sampling from girls is performed through the hymeneal opening from the posterior wall of vagina (a speculum should not be used) d In virgin females and children, specimens can be taken from the introitus d Self-obtained vaginal specimens have yielded comparable results to those obtained by a clinician using culture, 25 InPouch TV culture testing [26][27][28] as well as NAATs 29,30 Female first catch urine d An FCU specimen (approximately 10-15 mL) can be collected into a sterile container. The urine may be centrifuged and the pellet tested; however, the sensitivity of urine testing is lower than that of vaginal sampling Male urethra d In presence of discharge from urethra, the discharge is sampled from the urethral meatus.…”