PREVALENCE OF TRICHOMONAS VAGINALIS PREDICTED TO INCREASE SUBSTANTIALLY IN AUSTRALIA DUE TO REPLACEMENT OF PAP SMEARS WITH HPV TESTING FOR CERVICAL SCREENING: A MODELLING STUDY

Abstract

The prevalence of trichomoniasis is very low (~0.4%) in the general Australian population. This is attributed in part to the opportunistic detection of Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) in PAP smears of women participating in the cervical screening program. From 2017 the cervical screening program will transition from cytology to human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as the primary triage. We hypothesise that as a result of this transition, and with an increasing proportion of the population vaccinated against HPV, fewer cases of TV will be detected and the prevalence will consequently increase. A mathematical model was developed to describe the transmission of TV in the general population. We assume ..