title: Persistence of Trichomonas vaginalis serostatus in men over time.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous epidemiologic studies have observed positive associations between Trichomonas vaginalis (Tv) serostatus and both prostate cancer (PCa) risk and mortality. However, only a few small older studies have examined Tv antibody persistence over time, all of which were composed mainly of female patients. Therefore, we examined Tv antibody persistence over time, as well as intra-individual variability, among middle- to older-aged men in the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS).
  
  
  METHODS
  We tested baseline and repeat plasma specimens (collected 1-3 years later) from 248 male participants for Tv antibodies. We used the same enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as in previous studies of Tv serostatus and PCa.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, 46 (18.5 %) participants were seropositive for Tv infection. Seventy-six percent of these men were still seropositive 1-3 years later. A similar proportion of men "seroconverted" (4.0 %) as "seroreverted" (4.4 %), all of whom had absorbance values near the cutoff point for seropositivity. Overall, substantial agreement was observed between baseline and repeat serostatus (κ = 0.72, 95 % confidence interval 0.60-0.83).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tv seropositivity was largely persistent between plasma specimens collected 1-3 years apart from middle- to older-aged men. These high levels of persistence are similar to those observed for other sexually transmitted infections frequently investigated in relation to PCa.
authors.affiliation: Division of Public Health Sciences and the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Box 8100, Rm. 208S, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA. sutcliffes@wudosis.wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Siobhan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sutcliffe
authors.affiliation: School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Alderete
authors.affiliation: School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Calvin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neace
authors.affiliation: School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Joyce
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Charlotte A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gaydos
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: James I A
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Huth
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Lorelei A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Mucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Signorello
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000469:parasitology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014245:Trichomonas Infections / Q000276:immunology; D014246:Trichomonas vaginalis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan
keywords: Antibody; Males; Persistence; Reproducibility; Trichomonas vaginalis