A comparison of wet mount, culture and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for the diagnosis of trichomoniasis in women.

One thousand women in the child bearing age group, attending the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Outpatient Department, were investigated for the presence of Trichomonas vaginalis in their vaginal discharges. T. vaginalis was isolated in 68 patients (6.8%) by wet mount and/or culture. 55 cases (80.9%) were detected by wet mount examination and 67 (98.5%) by culture in TPS-I medium. Significant levels of antitrichomonal IgA antibody in the vaginal secretions by micro-ELISA technique were detected in 38 out of 50 subjects (76%) harbouring T. vaginalis in whom this assay was carried out. Culture was found to be the single most sensitive method for diagnosing trichomoniasis in women.