The diagnostic gold standard for Trichomonas vaginalis infection is culture using a specialized liquid medium, such as Diamond's or InPouch TV culture system. It is considered the gold standard because it is the most sensitive method available (except for possibly some NAATs). Culture can detect as few as 1-10 viable organisms per milliliter of sample. This is far more sensitive than the traditional wet mount microscopy, which requires a high parasite burden (approximately 10,000 organisms/ml) for detection. Culture allows for the amplification of even a small number of trophozoites present in vaginal secretions, urethral discharge, or urine sediment. A positive culture provides definitive proof of infection. While nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are now highly sensitive and specific and are becoming the de facto standard in many settings due to their automation and ability to test for multiple STIs simultaneously, culture remains the traditional reference method against which newer tests are validated. It also allows for isolation of the parasite for research purposes, such as drug susceptibility testing.

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Zambia

• Joseph Soko – 101 pts

• Visual Pathway Lesions
• Positive and Negative Symptoms
• Hallucinations and Delusions
• Antipsychotic Medications
• Emergency: Environmental Emergencies