1. Trichomonas vaginalis
Parasitic microorganism, and is sexually transmitted.
Causative agent of trichomoniasis
Most common in industrialized countries, 160 million cases of infection worldwide, of that 3-5 million alone in North America.
160 (Mb) mostly consisting of repetitive transposable elements.( 98,000 predicted to be protein coding, 38,000 predicted to be repeat genes.)
trophozoite is oval and flagellated (five flagella- four of them extended to the outside while one wraps backward along the surface of the organism)
Also has axostyle on the opposite of the the flagella, which is used for attachment., and also tissue damage.
Identification is mostly done by wet-mounts and pH tests rather than Gram stain.
J. Singh F2013
Modified by DYH

2. Trichomonas vaginalis Virulence Factors
Has adherence factors which allow cervicovaginal epithelium colonization.
Adherence is specific to vaginial epithelium cells(VECs). pH, temperature, and time dependent.
There are four adhesins trichomonad enzymes: AP65, AP51, AP33, AP23.
Others also mediate this process; microtubules, microfilaments, and cysteine proteinases.
Cysteine proteinases could be a virulence factor, because it degrades extracellular matrix proteins: hemoglobin, fibronectin or collagen IV.
J. Singh F2013
Modified by DYH
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