ABSTRACT
While many species in the genera Tritrichomonas (e.g., Tritrichomonas foetus) and Tetratrichomonas (e.g., Tetratrichomonas gallinarum) are pathogenic for various animals (sheep, pigs, cats, birds, etc.), three Trichomonas species (i.e., T. vaginalis, T. tenax, and Trichomonas hominis) have been shown to infect humans. Of these, T. vaginalis is most common and important; this parasite colonizes the vagina of women and the urethra (sometimes prostate) of men, causing vaginitis and cervicitis in women, urethritis in both sexes, and pulmonary infection in newborn babies (in the form of respiratory dif‘culty). T. tenax is found in oral gingival and tracheobronchial sites (e.g., the oral cavity and dental plaque), and has been implicated in debilitating or pulmonary diseases (carcinoma, abscess, bronchiectasis) in individuals with poor dental hygiene, malnutrition, and alcoholism. T. hominis (also known as Pentratrichomonas
11.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 127 11.1.1 Classi‘cation, Morphology, Life Cycle, and Epidemiology ................................................................................ 127
11.1.1.1 Classi‘cation ......................................................................................................................................... 127 11.1.1.2 Morphology ........................................................................................................................................... 128 11.1.1.3 Life Cycle and Epidemiology ............................................................................................................... 128
11.1.2 Clinical Features and Pathogenesis ..................................................................................................................... 128 11.1.2.1 Clinical Features ................................................................................................................................... 128 11.1.2.2 Pathogenesis .......................................................................................................................................... 128
11.1.3 Diagnosis and Treatment ..................................................................................................................................... 128 11.1.3.1 Diagnosis ............................................................................................................................................... 128 11.1.3.2 Treatment .............................................................................................................................................. 129
11.2 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................................... 129 11.2.1 Sample Preparation .............................................................................................................................................. 129 11.2.2 Detection Procedures ........................................................................................................................................... 129
11.2.2.1 Conventional PCR Detection ................................................................................................................ 129 11.2.2.2 Real-Time PCR Detection .................................................................................................................... 130 11.2.2.3 PCR-Restriction Fragment-Length Polymorphism (RFLP) Analysis ...................................................131
11.3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................................131 References ..................................................................................................................................................................................131
