(ÖGDV Jahrestagung 2025)
Ursula Fürnkranz, Katharina Schwarz, Angelika Stary
Outpatients Centre for diagnosis of infectious venereo-dermatological diseases, Vienna; Austria
Background:
Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection (STI) globally, with over 70% of infections estimated to be asymptomatic. In Austria, recent data on its prevalence are limited. This retrospective study aimed to update prevalence data among patients attending the Outpatients Centre for the Diagnosis of Infectious Venereo-Dermatological Diseases (OCD) in Vienna.
Methods:
Vaginal and urethral swabs from men and women were tested for T. vaginalis using the Alinity m STI Assay (Abbott, Illinois, USA). Other genital pathogens were analysed according to recommended testing methods and included in the evaluation.
Results:
Between 2023 and 2024, 29,129 women and 20,688 men were included in the evaluation. A total number of 157 cases of T. vaginalis were diagnosed — 138 in women (prevalence: 0.5%) and 19 in men (prevalence: 0.1%). The mean age was 43.5 years (range 26–79) in men and 44.1 years (range 17–79) in women, with 56.2% of patients over 40 years old. Asymptomatic infections were reported only in 7% of cases. In 25% of symptomatic patients, T. vaginalis was the only detected pathogen. Additionally, 15% of female patients presented signs of a concurrent bacterial vaginosis.
Conclusion:
The prevalence of genital trichomoniasis in the evaluated patient group in Vienna was low, although diagnosed by molecular biological methods, and is consistent with the heterogeneous data reported across Europe. Despite the low rate of infection, diagnosis of T. vaginalis should be included in the STI screening programme in women with suspicious vaginal symptom
