Evaluation of acridine orange stain for detection of Trichomonas vaginalis in vaginal specimens.

Vaginal exudates from 105 patients were examined by direct wet-mount microscopy and acridine orange stain for the presence of Trichomonas vaginalis. Both procedures demonstrated greater than 90% agreement in both sensitivity and specificity. When specimens can be examined immediately after collection, it appears that wet-mount microscopy is almost as sensitive as acridine orange staining for detection of T. vaginalis.