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Molecular characterization of double-stranded RNA virus in Trichomonas vaginalis Egyptian isolates and its association with pathogenicity

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Abstract

Trichomoniasis is a common human sexually transmitted infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis. The parasite can be infected with double-stranded RNA viruses (TVV). This viral infection may have important implications on trichomonal virulence and disease pathogenesis. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. vaginalis virus among isolates obtained from infected (symptomatic and asymptomatic) women in Ismailia City, Egypt, and to correlate the virus-infected isolates with the clinical manifestations of patients. In addition, the pathogenicity of TVV infected isolates on mice was also evaluated. T. vaginalis isolates were obtained from symptomatic and asymptomatic female patients followed by axenic cultivation in Diamond’s TYM medium. The presence of T. vaginalis virus was determined from total extraction of nucleic acids (DNA-RNA) followed by reverse transcriptase-PCR. Representative samples were inoculated intraperitoneally in female albino/BALB mice to assess the pathogenicity of different isolates. A total of 110 women were examined; 40 (36.3 %) samples were positive for T. vaginalis infection. Of these 40 isolates, 8 (20 %) were infected by TVV. Five isolates contained TVV-2 virus species, and the remaining three isolates were infected withTVV-4 variant. A significant association was found between the presence of TVV and particular clinical manifestations of trichomoniasis. Experimental mice infection showed varying degrees of pathogenicity. This is the first report on T. vaginalis infection by TVV in Egypt. The strong association detected between TVV and particular clinical features of trichomoniasis and also the degree of pathogenicity in experimentally infected mice may indicate a possible clinical significance of TVV infection of T. vaginalis isolates.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Maria D. Esteve-Gassent, assistant professor of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, for revising the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

    Eman K. El-Gayar & Amira B. Mokhtar

  2. Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

    Wael A. Hassan

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  1. Eman K. El-Gayar
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  2. Amira B. Mokhtar
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  3. Wael A. Hassan
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Correspondence to Eman K. El-Gayar.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Authorship

Assistant Professor Eman K. El-Gayar have chosen the research idea and planned the study design, shared in the experimental studies, and wrote the manuscript. Dr. Amira B. Mokhtar shared in the study design, the experimental studies, and manuscript writing. Dr. Wael A. Hassan assessed the histopathological results and shared in writing the manuscript.

Ethical considerations

The experimental animal studies were conducted in accordance with the international valid guidelines, and they were maintained under convenient conditions. The research was approved by the Scientific Research Ethical Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University. Informed consents were taken from patients to use their samples in the study.

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

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El-Gayar, E.K., Mokhtar, A.B. & Hassan, W.A. Molecular characterization of double-stranded RNA virus in Trichomonas vaginalis Egyptian isolates and its association with pathogenicity. Parasitol Res 115, 4027–4036 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5174-3

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