From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: What is Trichomones???? (TRICH.)
Date: 16 Apr 1998 23:02:58 GMT

In <6h5k4b$78v@bgtnsc02.worldnet.att.net> "Louise W. Limon"
<louise422@worldnet.att.net> writes:

>Could anyone possibly tell me what the causes and treatments for
>trichomones.


It's a one-celled protozoan parasite of the vagina.  Also can be
carried in the urethra.  It can be a sexally transmitted disease, but
also apparently spread in other ways, since there is a secondary
increase in incidence in the elderly (which doesn't happen with pure
STDs like, say, gonorrhea).  Nobody knows how it gets there
nonsexually-- probably poor handwashing or even the proverbial public
toilet seat.

The organism can be responsible for a fishy-smelling discharge, but so
can other infections, like gardinerella.  Both infections, however, are
effectively treated with topical or oral metronidazole.  A simple but
pretty good rule in gynecology is: if it smells, use metronidazole.
This drug, BTW, gets its well-known tradename of Flagyl from its use to
treat trichomonas, which has a single distinctive flagellum (Latin for
whip).

                                     Steve Harris, M.D.

From: Bill Savary <bsavary@azstarnet.com>
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: What is Trichomones???? (TRICH.)
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 02:32:00 -0700

Bill Savary wrote:

> Steven B. Harris wrote:
>
> > >Could anyone possibly tell me what the causes and treatments for
> > >trichomones.
> >
> > It's a one-celled protozoan parasite of the vagina. ..........
> > ......, but also apparently spread in other ways, since there is...
> > ...........................  Nobody knows how it gets there
> > nonsexually-- probably poor handwashing or even the proverbial public
> > toilet seat.
>
> There are other species of Trichomonas, and non-sexual means of
> transmission are known and understood.  I'm more used to dealing with it
> in animals (reptiles and wolves) than in people, but the concept and the
> treatment (flagyl, aka metronidazole) are the same.
>
> It can be ingested orally as a contaminant on unwashed hands or food,
> though the nature of the food involved is likely to involve few people.
> It is a common parasite in urban birds, such as pigeons and sparrows, so
> handling these species, or handling water bowls or birdbaths put out for
> them, can be sources of infection.  I've seen it in captive snakes, but
> don't know the method of infection.  In tortoises it can come from
> waterbowls that birds have access to, and in case of the wolf it was due
> to a very agile young wolf catching sparrows on the wing when they'd
> come into the enclosure.  I strongly suspect that in all of these cases,
> infection/infestation in the gut flora could be agravated when animals
> are stressed.
>
> Bill

Since posting the above I spoke with someone from the microbiology
section of a local hospital, who informed me of one case in which the
alleged source of infection was a hot tub that had not been hygienically
maintained.  I said "alleged" source because there were reasons to
believe it could also have been STD.

Bill

From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: What is Trichomones???? (TRICH.)
Date: 19 Apr 1998 19:28:29 GMT

In <3539C490.7738@azstarnet.com> Bill Savary <bsavary@azstarnet.com>
writes:
>
>Bill Savary wrote:
>
>> There are other species of Trichomonas, and non-sexual means of
>> transmission are known and understood. I'm more used to dealing with it
>> in animals (reptiles and wolves) than in people, but the concept and
>> the treatment (flagyl, aka metronidazole) are the same.
>>
>> It can be ingested orally as a contaminant on unwashed hands or food,
>> though the nature of the food involved is likely to involve few people.
>> It is a common parasite in urban birds, such as pigeons and sparrows,
>> so handling these species, or handling water bowls or birdbaths put out
>> for them, can be sources of infection. I've seen it in captive snakes,
>> but don't know the method of infection. In tortoises it can come from
>> waterbowls that birds have access to, and in case of the wolf it was
>> due to a very agile young wolf catching sparrows on the wing when
>> they'd come into the enclosure. I strongly suspect that in all of these
>> cases, infection/infestation in the gut flora could be agravated when
>> animals are stressed.
>>
>> Bill


   Fascinating!  I had no idea it was so wide-spread.  Incidentally,
vaginal trichomonal disease is one of the few 100% certain diagnoses in
medicine.  Nothing else under the microscope looks remotely like a live
trichomonad.

                                      Steve Harris, M.D.