Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Trichomonas vaginalis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Trichomonas vaginalis
IRAS ID
335944
Contact name
Rachel Pitt-Kendall
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
UK Health Security Agency
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Trichomonas vaginalis (TV), is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection (STI) globally. In 2023 there were 9,116 diagnoses reported in England, the majority of which in women (7,911/9,116, 86.8%). The organism primarily infects the lower genital tract causing vaginal discharge, genital itching and pain on urination. However up to 50% of infections have no symptoms.
Treatment options for TV infection are exceptionally limited. The first-line recommended therapy in England is metronidazole. Treatment failure with metronidazole is common, with up to 17% of women reporting persistence of infection. The mechanism of metronidazole resistance in TV is currently unknown. Where patients fail treatment current guidelines recommend re-treatment with a higher dose of the same antimicrobial or treatment with a further member of the same antimicrobial class. Continued failure with metronidazole can be very distressing for the individuals concerned and infections can persist for long periods of time.
This study aims to collect viable TV isolates from infected individuals for use in the development and validation of antimicrobial susceptibility testing assays. Susceptibility testing for TV is not currently offered by any laboratory in England. These assays will be used to (i) evaluate new antimicrobial agents that become available for the treatment of this STI, (ii) to examine TV strains for potential mechanism's of resistance and (iii) to develop clinical assays that support the detection of potential antimicrobial resistance in TV. In addition to clinical specimens, enhanced clinical and behavioural data will be collected to aid characterisation of the strains. This data will also be used to investigate the genomic cause of resistance.REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/WM/0062
Date of REC Opinion
15 May 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion