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Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) is one of the most successful protozoan pathogens and one of the most common sexually transmitted organism in females, yet it is also one of the most poorly investigated. By producing a wide array of glycosidases and cysteine proteinase enzymes, the organism can easily adapt to the environment, harvesting host proteins and DNA for metabolism. With the ability to cause lesions, vaginitis and acute inflammatory disease of the genital mucosa, TV acts as a potential catalyst in the acquisition of secondary infections including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human papillomavirus (HPV), the organism responsible for the pathogenesis of cervical cancer. Treatment of TV infection is relatively easy and could dramatically reduce the transmission of HIV in areas where TV is endemic.

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The study aims to evaluate the cause of cervical cancer in a cohort of patients and to establish whether or not human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading risk factor and to determine whether or not c-myc oncogene over-expression is a predicative marker for the disease. Cone biopsy samples are examined from 53 patients diagnosed with either adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Results showed that 19% of the patients studied were positive for high-grade HPV 18 DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). For the c-myc gene expression, only three (23%) of the 13 control slides were positive. Of 49 known cervical cancer patients examined, 41% were positive, 51% were negative and 8% were doubtful. Of those who were positive for HPV, only two were positive for a mutation in the c-myc gene and one slide gave a doubtful result. P value for hysterectomy patients was 0.23 and for cancer patients was 0.48. In the cervical cancer patients studied, the HPV 18 prevalence rate was very low compared to that found in other studies. Therefore, the presence of HPV and expression of the c-myc oncogene cannot be used as surrogate markers for cervical cancer.

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