Serum antibodies to Trichomonas vaginalis in invasive cervical cancer patients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate, by seroepidemiology, the possible role of the sexually-transmitted flagellate, Trichomonas vaginalis, in invasive cervical cancer.


METHODS
Sera from 121 invasive cervical cancer patients and 242 random age-matched female controls. Antibodies to T. vaginalis were detected by the western blot technique.


RESULTS
Antibodies to T. vaginalis were detected in the sera of 41.3% (50/121) of invasive cervical cancer patients compared with only 5.0% (12/242) of female controls. All the reactive sera reacted strongly with the immunogenic surface membrane proteins of T. vaginalis of molecular weights of about 92 and 115 kDa, with variable reactivity to other immunogenic proteins of T. vaginalis.


CONCLUSIONS
The significantly increased relative risk, RR = 3.42 (95% CI = 1.73-6.78), is comparable to the RRs derived in seroepidemiological studies of human papillomavirus, suggesting that T. vaginalis may be even more closely associated with invasive cervical cancer than previously realized.
Yap
E H
EH
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
Ho
T H
TH
Chan
Y C
YC
Thong
T W
TW
Ng
G C
GC
Ho
L C
LC
Singh
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014245:Trichomonas Infections / Q000150:complications; D014246:Trichomonas vaginalis / Q000276:immunology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan