(ICOPA 2026)
Iwona Lesiak-Markowicz1, Ursula Fürnkranz1,2, Stefanie Schmid1, Angelika Stary2, Julia Walochnik1
1Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
2Outpatients´ Centre for Infectious Venero-Dermatological Dieseases, Vienna; Pilzambulatorium, Wien; Austria
Background and aims
Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted pathogen worldwide and is known to establish assumedly symbiotic relationships with Trichomonas vaginalis virus (TVV) and the bacterium Mycoplasma hominis. These „endosymbionts“ have been proposed to modulate the pathogenicity of TV, yet these relationships remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to characterize TV isolates from Austrian patients with respect to their symbiotic composition and to investigate whether TV can also harbour Ureaplasma spp.
Methods
TV isolates were collected at an Outpatients´ Centre in Vienna and screened for TVV, M. hominis and Ureaplasma spp. by PCR. To achieve this, subcultures were installed from the isolates and subjected to RNA, and DNA extraction, respectively. All amplified products were sequenced and compared with reference sequences from GenBank.
Results
Altogether, 82 TV strains were isolated from Austrian patients: 10 isolates derived from men and 72 from women. We confirmed the presence of TVVs (TVV1, TVV2, or TVV3) in 29 of them (35%); no TVV4 was detected. M. hominis DNA was found in 28% of the TV isolates by PCR. Preliminary PCR-based results did not reveal the presence of Ureaplasma spp. in the tested TV isolates, experiments to infect TV with Ureaplasma are currently underway.
Conclusions
Our study provides insight into the symbiotic relationships of Austrian Trichomonas vaginalis isolates. Ongoing work will determine whether Ureaplasma can persist as an endosymbiont in TV and investigate the impact of endosymbionts on TV pathogenicity.
Funding
This research is supported by the Austrian Science Fund Grants No. 10.55776/KLI751 and No. 10.55776/KLP6210324.
