Trichomonas vaginalis Associated with Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: Implications for Maternal Health Care Delivery System in South Eastern Nigeria
Okonkwo Eucharia Chinyere
Department of Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Ebonyi State University, P.M.B. 053, Abakaliki Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Iroha Ifeanyichukwu Romanus *
Department of Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Ebonyi State University, P.M.B. 053, Abakaliki Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Onwa Ndubuisi Collins
Department of Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Ebonyi State University, P.M.B. 053, Abakaliki Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Abstracts
Nworie Okoro
Department of Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Ebonyi State University, P.M.B. 053, Abakaliki Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
Oji Egwu Anthonia
Department of Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Ebonyi State University, P.M.B. 053, Abakaliki Ebonyi State, Nigeria
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Pregnant women infected with Trichomonas vaginalis are often untreated and evidence from the biology and epidemiology of the organism suggests that it may play an important role in causing adverse pregnancy outcomes. Using high vaginal swab from consenting pregnant women, a follow-up hospital based survey of T. vaginalis infection and its effect on pregnancy outcome among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics was conducted. Pregnancy outcome was determined on the basis of delivery before 37 weeks of gestation (according to general standards), low birth weight infants and neonatal conjunctivitis. The presence of T. vaginalis was re-examined at the point of delivery to exclude treated cases of infection during gestation period. Of the 688 pregnant women who gave birth within the study period, 89(12.9%) were positive for T. vaginalis with 31(19.38%) of the positive patients having pre-term delivery. Also, of the total of 89 infants from the infected mothers, 21(24.14%) had low birth weight of below 2.5 Kg, while 31(18.8%) had conjunctivitis. The result shows that the infection of T. vaginalis during pregnancy is significantly associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. In view of the public health importance of this common sexually transmitted disease (STD), we advocate routine surveillance of trichomoniasis among pregnant women and prompt treatment of infected individuals and their sexual partners.
Keywords: Trichomonas vaginalis, maternal healthcare, neonatal conjunctivitis, birth weight.