Introduction The urogenital trichomonasis remains the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection. Classically, its biological diagnosis relies on the use of microscopy which is often negative because of the fragility of the parasite. PCR is thus an alternative method. So, this study aims to show the importance of PCR in the diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis.

Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among 194 women received at the Institut Pasteur of Côte d’Ivoire from July to October 2013 for an STD through a vaginal sample with three swabs. Direct examination was made on each sample, Gram stain and Giemsa, culture as well as a multiplex PCR (T. vaginalis, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Mycoplasma genitalium). The sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a questionnaire.

Results In total, 194 women were received with an average age of 31.35 years (SD=8.60 years). At microscopy, 2 cases (1.03%) of T. vaginalis were revealed. After DNA extraction, a PCR amplification has allowed to identify 7 cases (3, 61%) of T. vaginalis with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 97.4%. Other germs were identified by PCR, Chlamydia trachomatis (4.12%), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (2.58%) and Mycoplasma genitalium (1.03%).

Conclusion Routine testing of Trichomonas vaginalis by PCR has shown the importance of this method in the diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis infection because of its high sensibility and specificity. Its might be an alternative after the initiation of classical microscopy.