Advisory Committee Chair
Christina Muzny
Advisory Committee Members
Vithal K Ghanta
William M Geisler
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2018
Degree Name by School
Master of Science (MS) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Background: Trichomonas vaginalis virus (TVV) is a non-segmented, 4.5-5.5 kbp, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus infecting T. vaginalis (TV). The objectives of this study were to examine TVV prevalence in U.S. TV isolates and associations with patient demographics, clinical outcomes, and metronidazole (MTZ) resistance. Methods: Archived TV isolates from the enrollment visit of 355 women participating in a TV treatment trial in Birmingham, AL were thawed and grown in culture. Total RNA was extracted using Trizol reagent. Contaminating single-stranded RNA was precipitated using 4.0M LiCl and centrifugation. Samples were analyzed by gel electrophoresis to visualize a 4.5kbp band representative of TVV. In vitro testing for MTZ resistance was also performed on 25/47 TV isolates from the test of cure (TOC) visit. Results: TVV was detected in 142/355 (40%) TV isolates at the enrollment visit. Women with TVV+ isolates were significantly older (p = 0.02), more likely to smoke (p = 0.04), and less likely to report a history of gonorrhea (p = 0.04). There was no association between the presence of clinical symptoms or repeat TV infection with TVV+ isolates (p = 0.14 and p = 0.44 respectively). Of 25 TOC TV isolates tested for MTZ resistance, 0/10 TVV+ isolates demonstrated resistance while 2/15 TVV- isolates demonstrated mild-moderate MTZ resistance (p = 0.23). Conclusions: In one of the largest U.S. studies of TV isolates tested for TVV, prevalence was 40%. However, there was no association of TVV+ isolates with clinical symptoms, repeat infections or MTZ resistance. These results suggest that TVV may be a commensal to TV.
Recommended Citation
Graves, Keonte, "Trichomonas vaginalis virus (TVV) and its role in trichomoniasis infection" (2018). All ETDs from UAB. 1782.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/1782