Trichomonas vaginalis among women raped in Antananarivo, 2005-2011

Rape is a forensic emergency due to the possibility of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. Moreover, an upsurge is currently underway. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of Trichomonas vaginalis in women undergoing tests at the Microbiology Unit of the Joseph Ravoahangy Andrianavalona Antananarivo Hospital after being raped. This retrospective descriptive study covers the 7-year period from 2005 to 2011 and reports the results of direct examination of the vaginal discharge after vulvar smears from rape patients. We studied the age of patients and the results of these direct smear examinations that tested for T. vaginalis. In our study, the number of women with T. vaginalis increased markedly with age. The mean age of the patients was 13.7 years (range: 2 to 41 years). Among the 232 rape victims tested, only 26 were positive for it (11.20%); trichomoniasis was thus rare among these women. T. vaginalis is a common cause of vaginitis in women and one of the most common infections transmitted by sexual assault. In children, the presence of T. vaginalis in vaginal sample is a strong indicator of sexual abuse. Other sexually transmitted infections can be transmitted during sexual abuse.