Prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis by PCR in Men Attending a Primary Care Urology Clinic in South Korea

• Published in: Korean journal of parasitology Vol. 52; no. 5; pp. 551 - 555
• Main Authors: Seo, Jun-Hyeok, Yang, Hye-Won, Joo, So-Young, Song, Su-Min, Lee, Yu-Ran, Ryu, Jae-Sook, Yoo, Eun Sang, Lee, Won Kee, Kong, Hyun-Hee, Lee, Sang-Eun, Lee, Won-Ja, Goo, Youn-Kyoung, Chung, Dong-Il, Hong, Yeonchul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) 대한기생충학열대의학회 01.10.2014; The Korean Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Brief Communication; Child; Chlamydia Infections - parasitology; Chlamydia trachomatis - isolation & purification; Coinfection; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mycoplasma genitalium - isolation & purification; Mycoplasma Infections - parasitology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prostatitis - epidemiology; Prostatitis - parasitology; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Trichomonas Infections - diagnosis; Trichomonas vaginalis - isolation & purification; Young Adult; Republic of Korea; Trichomonas vaginalis; sexually transmitted disease; multiplex PCR; diagnosis; PCR
• ISSN: 0023-4001; 1738-0006; 1738-0006
• DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2014.52.5.551

Trichomonas vaginalis, a causative agent of trichomoniasis, may trigger symptomatic or asymptomatic nongonococcal urethritis and chronic prostatitis in men. Despite the availability of highly sensitive diagnostic tests, such as nucleic acid amplification tests, including PCR, few prospective studies present data on male T. vaginalis infection in South Korea. In the present study, the prevalence of T. vaginalis and associated clinical conditions were evaluated in 201 male patients from a primary care urology clinic in South Korea. The prevalence of T. vaginalis infection in our cohort was 4% (8/201) by PCR. T. vaginalis infection was common in men older than 40 years (median age, 52 years). Among the 8 Trichomonas-positive patients, 87.5% (7/8) had prostatic diseases, such as prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia, and 25.0% (2/8) and 12.5% (1/8) were coinfected with Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma genitalium, respectively. Our results suggest that T. vaginalis infection is not rare in men attending primary care urology clinics in South Korea, especially in those older than 40 years, in whom it may explain the presence of prostatic disease. The possibility of T. vaginalis infection should be routinely considered in older male patients with prostatic diseases in South Korea.