Abstract

Specimens from 495 patients attending Johannesburg hospitals and family planning clinics were examined for Trichomonas vaginalis by microscopy of Giemsa (GS), Papanicolaou (PAP), and acridine-orange (AO) stained smears, and by culture in Feinberg-Whittington medium. Culture, Pap and GS stained smears from vaginal swabs yielded fewer positives than AO stained smears. Although Pap-stained cytological smears gave the highest number of positives, in 30% of these cases the presence of T.vaginalis could not be confirmed by examination of vaginal swabs. Of the positive AO-stained smears, 93% were also positive by at least one other technique.