[Molecular diagnosis of oral cavity trichomonas infections in HIV patients]

The occurrence of trichomonas in oral cavity of HIV patients is not well known. HIV patients often suffer from oral lesions (candidiosis, advanced caries) and it remains unclear if any oral parasites can affect that, therefore the aim of the study was verification of species that can occur in HIV patients' oral cavity. Diagnosis of oral trichomonas can be performed by conventional methods (microscopic observation of wet and stained preparations and cultivation) but these are time consuming and insufficient for proper species differentiation, therefore in order to detect and identify species of parasites precisely, molecular methods such as PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and sequencing of its product, were applied. 54 HIV patients (18 females and 36 males at the age of 20-54) were examined. All of them were addicted to intravenous drugs for at least 6 years. Saliva, smears and spittle samples were collected and used for cultivation, preparations and molecular diagnosis. For PCR amplification a pair of primers (T1 and T2) specific for ITS 1 - 5.8 SrRNA - ITS 2 region was designed. The oral trichomonas were detected in saliva samples of 3 HIV patients; these were males at the age of 25, 27 and 44. The identification of species by PCR and sequencing of the PCR products showed the trichomonads belonging to Trichomonas tenax. Infection of HIV patients' oral cavity caused by T. tenax is rather related with inflammatory processes than with the immunosuppression of these patients but should be considered as a potential factor in pathogenesis of oral disorders in immunosuppressed patients.