In-pouch TV culture system in diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis infection

A newly simplified culture method, the In-Pouch TV culture system, the wet mount (WM) examination and the acridine orange stain were compared with the Oxoid culture as a standard technique in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis. Out of 70 symptomatic cases enrolled in this study, 28 specimens were positive by all methods. Among these positive specimens, 21 were positive by the Oxoid culture (75%) and 24 (85.7%) with sensitivity of 85.7% by the In-Pouch system. Both wet mount preparation and acridine orange stain had less sensitivity than the In-Pouch system (61.9%) and detected 15 (53.6%) and 16 (57.1%) of the cases respectively. The In-Pouch system has been proved to be easier in the transport and culture technique than the ordinary culture method. It alleviates the need to enter the culture, thus prevents contamination. Its cost is comparable to the ordinary culture tube. Therefore, it is recommended to use the In-Pouch culture system as a method of diagnosing trichomoniasis.