Trichomonas vaginalis and associated factors among women living with HIV/AIDS in Amazonas, Brazil.

Objectives: Our goal was to determine the prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis and its associated factors among women living with HIV attending an AIDS clinic in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.

Methods: Cross-sectional study among women attending an AIDS clinic in Manaus between March and December 2010 for gynecological examination were invited to participate. Enrolled patients answered a face-to-face interview including demographic, behavioral and clinical data. They also underwent a gynecological evaluation and cervical scrape samples were collected for wet mount, Gram stain, culture and cytological analysis. A blood sample was obtained to determine TCD4+ lymphocytes and viral load.

Results: A total of 341 (91.2%) women participated in the study. The prevalence of T. vaginalis was 4.1% (95% CI: 2.0-6.2%). Median age was 32 (interquartile range 27-38) years and median years of schooling was 9.0 (interquartile range 4-11). A total of 165 (53.2%) HIV women were classified as patients with AIDS. In multivariate analyses, squamous intraepithelial lesions in cytology [OR=2.46 (95% CI: 1.31-4.63, p=0.005)] and anal sex practice [OR=3.62 (95% CI: 1.08-12.19, p=0.037)] were associated with T. vaginalis.

Conclusions: These results highlight that HIV-infected women should be screened for T. vaginalis. The control of this infection may have an impact on preventing reproductive complications among these women.