By By Andrea Schmidt
Trichomoniasis is not a word recognized by most people. It is, however, the most common, treatable, sexually transmitted disease in the United States today. Caused by a single-celled trichomonad parasite, Trichomoniasis is spreading rapidly among both men and women.
According to annual health estimates from the World Health Organization, there are an estimated 7.4 million cases each year in the United States. Compared to other common STDs like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, Trichomoniasis occurred more often in women from every age group except those between 14 and 19 years old. This data was collected from a study of 1, 515 women in STD clinics presented by Dr. Mary Louis Kamb of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Of college women carrying common STDs, 4.8 percent are infected with Trichomoniasis, while the percentage for Chlamydia is 2.8 percent and 1.4 percent for Gonorrhea. Another CDC study found that three months after treatment, the incidence of re-infection with Trichomoniasis was greater then for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea.
Also, in contrast with Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, the incidence of Trichomoniasis rose with age, reaching a high of 24 percent in women over 30, the oldest group.
“It’s scary,” Kelsey Ackerman, a 21 year-old senior, said. “I’ve never even heard of it.”
A study conducted by the University of North Carolina found that out of 280 men whose sexual partners had Trichomoniasis, 73 percent were infected. Trichomoniasis is in many cases asymptomatic to men, who may unknowingly transmit the infection to their partners. Since men often don’t experience any notable symptoms, Trichomoniasis is harder to detect in men and can therefore spread quickly.
“I think these days people just aren’t as safe with sex and do not realize how easy these diseases can be spread,” Erin McAndrew, a sophmore video/TV and music major, said. “Its a problem in college nowadays that should not be neglected because it could hurt someone in the long run.”
In women, common symptoms include discoloration of vaginal discharge, odor, pain with sexual intercourse, painful urination and soreness or itching. Although asymptomatic in most cases with men, sometimes they experience urethral discharge, burning after intercourse and infected prostate glands.
Trichomoniasis can also be linked to more serious infections and STDs. A growing supply of clinical data has linked Trichomoniasis to reduced fertility rates in both men and women. It has also been linked to an increase in HIV along with cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, premature birth and reduced sperm mobility in men.
The good news is disease is treatable, even though the odds of re-infection are greater then other STDs. Drugs of choice include a two-gram dose of either oral metronidazole or tinidazole, approved by the FDA and available under the brand name of Tindamax for both men and women. Treatment of both partners is important and essential in preventing re-infection.
The first comprehensive Web site dedicated to Trichomoniasis, www.tichomoniasis.net, provides in-depth scientific studies and information about this disorder.

Many more women at colleges are infected with trichomoniasis than more well-known STDs like Gonorrhea and Chlamydia. (Harry Tanielyan/The Chronicle)