Trichomonas vaginalis

Trichomonas vaginalis
Trichomonas vaginalis observed by scanning electron microscopy showing the axostyle (ax), the anterior flagella (af) and the undulating membrane (rf).[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Phylum:	Metamonada
Order:	Trichomonadida
Family:	Trichomonadidae
Genus:	Trichomonas
Species:	T. vaginalis
Binomial name
Trichomonas vaginalis (Donné 1836)

Trichomonas vaginalis is an anaerobic, flagellated protozoan parasite and the causative agent of a sexually transmitted disease called trichomoniasis. It is the most common pathogenic protozoan that infects humans in industrialized countries.^[2] Infection rates in men and women are similar but women are usually symptomatic, while infections in men are usually asymptomatic. Transmission usually occurs via direct, skin-to-skin contact with an infected individual, most often through vaginal intercourse. The WHO has estimated that 160 million cases of infection are acquired annually worldwide.^[3] The estimates for North America alone are between 5 and 8 million new infections each year, with an estimated rate of asymptomatic cases as high as 50%.^[4] Usually treatment consists of metronidazole and tinidazole.^[5]