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  • The dawn of novel STI prevention methods: modelling potential unintended effects of changes in cervical cancer screening guidelines on trichomoniasis

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Editorial
The dawn of novel STI prevention methods: modelling potential unintended effects of changes in cervical cancer screening guidelines on trichomoniasis
  1. Minttu M Rönn1,
  2. Katherine ME Turner2
  1. 1 Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  2. 2 Faculty of Health Sciences, Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Minttu M Rönn, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA; mronn{at}hsph.harvard.edu

https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2018-053534

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    Trichomonas vaginalis (trichomoniasis (TV)) is a parasite of the urogenital area.1 TV is not a notifiable infection in most countries and, as the majority of infections remain asymptomatic, there is lack of epidemiological data for the infection. In the USA and the UK, screening of TV among asymptomatic individuals in the general population is not recommended by the guidelines.2 3 In Australia, opportunistic testing for asymptomatic TV is done during cervical screening appointments using Pap smear test and wet mount microscopy, which has a sensitivity around 50–60% for TV detection. New guidelines were introduced in 2017 to replace cytology-based testing with PCR testing for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection, such that cervical cytology is only conducted for those who test positive for HR-HPV.4

    Hui et al 5 have used mathematical modelling to estimate potential indirect effects of the cervical screening guideline changes on TV prevalence in Australia. In the study, a deterministic compartmental model of TV transmission among heterosexual population was calibrated to low-level (0.4%) TV prevalence reflecting urban Australian population and assuming a steady age-specific cytology-based cervical cancer screening rate among …

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    Footnotes

    • Handling editor Jackie A Cassell

    • Contributors MMR and KMET developed the article outline together. MMR drafted the first version of the article with subsequent versions edited by KMET and MMR.

    • Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.

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