[Evaluation of an agglutination method with latex particles sensitised for the diagnosis of vaginal trichomoniasis].

A latex agglutination method for the detection of vaginal trichomoniasis, designed at the Parasitology Department of the National Center of Farming and Stockbreeding Health (CNSA, in Spanish), was evaluated. 240 samples of vaginal exudates from women that visited the Microbiology Department of "10 de Octubre" Maternal and Children's Hospital, were analysed. This method was compared to the conventional direct examination used in the laboratories, taking the culture in Diamond medium as an accurate diagnosis. The latex method proved to be more sensitive, efficient and with higher predicting values than the direct examination. The evaluation of this technique showed a sensitivity of 97.7% and an efficiency of 97.5%. The new latex technique provides the diagnosis in approximately 3 minutes and due to its simplicity it may be carried out by the paramedical personnel at the own gynecologist's office to establish the specific treatment on the same day.