Aptima® Trichomonas vaginalis Assay (ATV)

Curable—But Still All Too Common

Trichomoniasis (“trich”) is as prevalent as chlamydia (CT) and gonorrhea (NG) combined.1 Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) infection increases risk of other STIs & HIV, and if left untreated it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and adverse pregnancy outcomes.2,3

26M

new sexually transmitted infections in 20181

6.9M

infections were trich1

~70%

of people do not have any signs or symptoms2

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Overlapping Symptoms Can Make Diagnosis Difficult

Many different conditions may cause symptoms similar to trich, and co-infections can be common, making accurate detection of Trichomonas vaginalis imperative for effective trich treatment.4-9

Trichomoniasis chart

Guidelines Agree on NAAT

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Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) is recommended for the diagnosis of Trichomoniasis.10

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NAATs are highly sensitive, detecting more TV infections than wet-mount microscopy.2

  • Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) is recommended for the diagnosis of TV.
  • Patients should be retested ~3 months after treatment because of high recurrence rates.
  • For persistent infections in women, resistance testing should be considered.
  • Current partners should be referred for presumptive treatment to avoid reinfection.
  • All women seeking care for vaginal discharge or who have other symptoms of trichomoniasis should be tested for TV.
  • Annual TV screening for all women with HIV infection is recommended.
  • People receiving care in high-prevalence settings (e.g., STD clinics and correctional facilities) should consider screening.
  • Asymptomatic women at increased risk for infections should consider screening.
  • People with TV should be tested for other STIs, including HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea.
 

Don’t Trust a Negative Wet Mount

Wet mounts fail to detect up to 56% of TV infections.2 It can be unreliable due to the following reasons:11,12

Sensitivity and Timing:

  • Relies on detecting motile forms, leading to potential false negatives.
  • Delayed testing reduces accuracy as motile trichomonads decreases over time.

Interpretation Challenges:

  • Variability in clinician skills affects accuracy.
  • Non-motile forms may be confused with vaginal cells.
Aptima Trich Motile Organisms

Wet mount requires at least 10,000 motile organisms/mL to visualize.12

A More Sensitive and Specific Test:
NAAT Only Requires a Fraction of One Organism to Detect up to 100% of TV Infections13

Our Aptima® Trichomonas vaginalis Assay is an FDA-cleared nucleic acid amplified test (NAAT) for both symptomatic and asymptomatic trichomoniasis case detection.

Specimen Type Aptima® Trichomonas vaginalis Assay (ATV)13
Sensitivity Specificity
ThinPrep Test

ThinPrep® Test Vial

 100% 98.6%
Multitest Swab

Aptima® Multitest Swab

Clinician Collected Vaginal Sample

 100% 98.2%

Aptima® Multitest Swab

Patient Collected Multitest Swab

 PPA 98.8% NPA 99.4%
Unisex Collection

Aptima® Unisex Swab

Endocervical Sample

 100% 98.1%
Urine Collection

Aptima® Urine

Female Sample

 100% 100%

Aptima® Urine

Male Sample

 100% 99.8%

Specimen Type

Aptima® Trichomonas vaginalis
Assay (ATV)13

ThinPrep® Test Vial
Sensitivity Specificity
100% 98.6%
Aptima® Multitest Swab - Vaginal
Sensitivity Specificity
100% 98.2%
Aptima® Multitest Swab - Patient Collected
Sensitivity Specificity
PPA
98.8%		 NPA
99.4%
Aptima® Unisex Swab - Endocervical
Sensitivity Specificity
100% 98.1%
Aptima® Urine - Female
Sensitivity Specificity
100% 100%
Aptima® Urine - Male
Sensitivity Specificity
100% 99.8%

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References

1. CDC. Sexually transmitted infections prevalence, incidence, and cost estimates in the united states. Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Published 2024. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/sti/php/communication-resources/prevalence-incidence-and-cost-estimates.html.

2. Workowski KA, Bachmann LH, Chan PA, Johnston CM, Muzny CA, Park I, Reno H, Zenilman JM, Bolan GA. Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2021 Jul 23;70(4):1-187. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.rr7004a1.

3. Allsworth JE, et al. Trichomoniasis a nd oth er sexually tr ansmitted infections: r esu lts fro m the 2001-200 4 National Health and Nu trition Examination Surveys. Sex Tran sm Dis. 2 009;36(12 ):7 38–744.

4. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. About Trichomoniasis. Last reviewed January 31, 2025. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/trichomoniasis/about/index.html

5. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. About Bacterial Vaginosis (BV). Last reviewed December 11, 2023. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/bacterial-vaginosis/about/index.html

6. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of Candidiasis. Last reviewed April 24, 2024. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/candidiasis/signs-symptoms/index.html

7. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. About Chlamydia. Last reviewed January 31, 2025. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/chlamydia/about/index.html

8. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. About Gonorrhea. Last reviewed January 31, 2025. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/gonorrhea/about/index.html

9. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. About Mycoplasma genitalium. Last reviewed January 31, 2025. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/mgen/about/index.html

10. ACOG. Vaginitis in Nonpregnant Patients. ACOG Practice Bulletin. Number 215. Obstet Gynecol. 2020;135(1):e1-e17.

11. Kingston MA, et al. ‘Shelf life’ of Trichomonas vaginalis. Intl J STD AIDS. 2003;14(1):28-29. doi: 10.1258/095646203321043228.

12. Garber G, et al. The laboratory diagnosis of Trichomonas Vaginalis. Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. 2005; 6(1):35-38.

13. Aptima Trichomonas vaginalis Assay. US package insert AW-27552-001. Hologic, Inc.; 2023.