A 24-year-old woman presents with frothy, yellow-green vaginal discharge, vulval itching, and dysuria. Speculum examination shows a strawberry appearance of the cervix. Saline wet mount shows motile organisms with jerky movement. Which statement about this parasite is correct?

• A It multiplies by multiple fission inside tissue cysts
• B It is transmitted primarily through contaminated water
• C It exists only as a trophozoite and forms no cyst stage ✓
• D It requires treatment of the patient alone, partners need no therapy

Explanation

Trichomonas vaginalis uniquely exists only in the trophozoite form throughout its life cycle and forms no cyst, unlike Giardia and Entamoeba. It is sexually transmitted, hence both sexual partners must be treated simultaneously with metronidazole to prevent reinfection, known as the ping-pong phenomenon. It reproduces by binary fission, not multiple fission, and the jerky motility with undulating membranes on wet mount is diagnostic. The strawberry cervix results from punctate haemorrhagic spots.

Reference: Paniker's Textbook of Medical Parasitology, 8th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.