Trichomonas

Trichomonas: The disease most people call trichomonas (TRIK-uh-moh-naz) is also known as trich. Its formal name is trichomoniasis (trik-uh-muh-NY-uh-sis), which means infestation by the trichomonas parasite.

Cause Trichomonas vaginalis is a protist parasite that causes the sexually transmitted disease trichomonas. The parasite is among the animallike protists known as protozoans.
The infection occurs primarily in the urethra of men and the vagina of women.

Incidence Trichomoniasis affects 2 to 3 million people in the United States each year.

Symptoms you are likely to notice Like other STDs, the symptoms are different in women and men. Women have a thick yellow-green to gray discharge from the vagina, vaginal odor, painful urination, and painful intercourse. They may also have lower abdominal pain. Men may have a water-clear discharge from the penis and painful urination, but usually have no symptoms at all.

Symptoms your physician may observe When the physician does an examination, she or he will take samples of the fluid from the vagina or  penis. Examining the fluid under a microscope may show the protozoans, but a more reliable method, especially for infected men, is to culture the fluid to grow the protozoans.

Treatment options Antiprotozoal medication is prescribed to kill the parasite. Both partners should be treated at the same time so one does not remain infested and reinfect the treated partner.

Stages and progress Symptoms usually appear four to twenty days after infestation, but may not occur until years later in some individuals.

Prevention Trichomonas can be transmitted if a person is infected, even if there are no symptoms. The best prevention, after abstinence, is the use of condoms and diaphragms. Neither of these is 100% effective, but each is much safer than having sex without a barrier.