Recent Advances in the Trichomonas vaginalis Field

Abstract

The microaerophilic protist parasite Trichomonas vaginalis is occurring globally and causes infections in the urogenital tract in humans, a condition termed trichomoniasis. In fact, trichomoniasis is the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted disease with more than 250 million people infected every year. Although trichomoniasis is not life threatening in itself, it can be debilitating and increases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, HIV infection, and, possibly, neoplasias in the prostate and the cervix. Apart from its role as a pathogen, T. vaginalis is also a fascinating organism with a surprisingly large genome for a parasite, i. e. larger than 160 Mb, and a physiology adapted to its microaerophilic lifestyle. In particular, the hydrogenosome, a mitochondria-derived organelle that produces hydrogen, has attracted much interest in the last few decades and rendered T. vaginalis a model organism for eukaryotic evolution.This review will give a succinct overview of the major advances in the T. vaginalis field in the last few years.

Cryo-EM structures of the 80S ribosomes from human parasites Trichomonas vaginalis and Toxoplasma gondii

“…It can infect both sexes and cause vaginitis in women and urethritis in men. Women infected with T. vaginalis during pregnancy could result in adverse pregnancy outcomes, and trichomoniasis patients have a high risk of HIV infection [27]. According to the related report from the World Health Organization, trichomoniasis has been listed as the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide.…”

Nichtvirale sexuell übertragene Infektionen – Epidemiologie, Klinik, Labordiagnostik und Therapie

“…Die Trichomoniasis gilt mit mehr als 250 Mio. Infizierten/ Jahr als die nichtvirale STI mit der höchs-ten Prävalenz weltweit [28]. Die WHO geht sogar von 276 Mio.…”

Identification of the NADH-oxidase gene in Trichomonas vaginalis

“…The microaerophilic parasite Trichomonas vaginalis is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted pathogens worldwide, causing hundreds of millions of infections every year (Leitsch, 2016). The parasite colonizes the urogenital tract and causes urethritis, vaginitis and cervicitis.…”