title: Prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis by PCR in men attending a primary care urology clinic in South Korea.
abstract: Trichomonas vaginalis, a causative agent of trichomoniasis, may trigger symptomatic or asymptomatic nongonococcal urethritis and chronic prostatitis in men. Despite the availability of highly sensitive diagnostic tests, such as nucleic acid amplification tests, including PCR, few prospective studies present data on male T. vaginalis infection in South Korea. In the present study, the prevalence of T. vaginalis and associated clinical conditions were evaluated in 201 male patients from a primary care urology clinic in South Korea. The prevalence of T. vaginalis infection in our cohort was 4% (8/201) by PCR. T. vaginalis infection was common in men older than 40 years (median age, 52 years). Among the 8 Trichomonas-positive patients, 87.5% (7/8) had prostatic diseases, such as prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia, and 25.0% (2/8) and 12.5% (1/8) were coinfected with Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma genitalium, respectively. Our results suggest that T. vaginalis infection is not rare in men attending primary care urology clinics in South Korea, especially in those older than 40 years, in whom it may explain the presence of prostatic disease. The possibility of T. vaginalis infection should be routinely considered in older male patients with prostatic diseases in South Korea.
authors.affiliation: Top Urology Clinic, Daegu 704-821, Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Hyeok
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 700-422, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Won
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 700-422, Korea.
authors.forename: So-Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 700-422, Korea.
authors.forename: Su-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 700-422, Korea.
authors.forename: Yu-Ran
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biology and Medical Parasitology, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul 133-791, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Sook
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 700-422, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Sang
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Center of Biostatistics, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 700-422, Korea.
authors.forename: Won Kee
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan 602-714, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Hee
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Division of Malaria and Parasitic Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Osong 363-951, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Malaria and Parasitic Diseases, Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Osong 363-951, Korea.
authors.forename: Won-Ja
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 700-422, Korea.
authors.forename: Youn-Kyoung
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Goo
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 700-422, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Il
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu 700-422, Korea.
authors.forename: Yeonchul
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000469:parasitology; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D060085:Coinfection; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000469:parasitology; D045704:Mycoplasma genitalium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D014245:Trichomonas Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014246:Trichomonas vaginalis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: PCR; Trichomonas vaginalis; diagnosis; multiplex PCR; sexually transmitted disease