Morphology
The T. vaginalis trophozoite is oval as well as flagellated, or "pear" shaped as seen on wet-mount slide. It is slightly larger than a white blood cell, measuring 9 X 7 μm. Five flagella arise near the cytostome; four of these immediately extend outside the cell together, while the fifth flagellum wraps backwards along the surface of the organism. The functionality of the fifth flagellum is not known. In addition, a conspicuous barb-like axostyle projects opposite the four-flagella bundle; the axostyle may be used for attachment to surfaces and may also cause the tissue damage noted in trichomoniasis infections.
While T. vaginalis does not have a cyst form, organisms can survive for up to 24 hours in urine, semen, or even water samples. It has an ability to persist on fomites with a moist surface for 1 to 2 hours.
Read more about this topic: Trichomonas Vaginalis
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