title: Factors associated with the prevalence and incidence of Trichomonas vaginalis infection among African American women in New York city who use drugs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Trichomoniasis vaginalis, the most prevalent nonviral sexually transmitted infection, is associated with negative reproductive outcomes and increased HIV transmission and may be overrepresented among African Americans.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 135 African American women who used drugs were screened for Trichomonas vaginalis on > or =2 occasions between March 2003 and August 2005. Women were administered a structured questionnaire in a community-based research center, underwent serological testing for human immunodeficiency virus and herpes simplex virus type 2, and were screened for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-one women (38%) screened positive for T. vaginalis at baseline. Twenty-nine (31%) of 95 women with negative results of baseline tests became infected, for an incidence of 35.1 cases per 100 person-years at risk (95% confidence interval [CI], 23.5-49.0). Prevalent infection was associated with drug use in the past 30 days, and incident infection was associated with sexual behavior in the past 30 days, namely having >1 male sex partner. Women who reported having >1 partner were 4 times as likely as women with fewer partners to acquire T. vaginalis (hazard ratio, 4.3; 95% CI, 2.0-9.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  T. vaginalis may be endemic in this community of African American women. A control strategy that includes T. vaginalis screening in nonclinical settings and rapid point-of-care testing could contribute to the disruption of transmission of this pathogen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595, USA. maureen.miller@nymc.edu
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Yuyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Anu Manchikanti
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: Charlotte A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gaydos
authors.forename: Delysha
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: D'Mellow
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000818:Animals; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000469:parasitology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology; D014247:Trichomonas Vaginitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D014246:Trichomonas vaginalis / Q000472:pathogenicity*