Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) (arrows)

Source

Dr. Cristina Carmignani, biologist, Laboratorio di Patologia Clinica, ASST del Garda, Desenzano (BS), Italy.

Description

Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) (arrows) with its typical ovoid body and flagella (only one or two out of five being evident in the image). In most instances, the presence of TV in the urine is due to a contamination from genital secretions, this protozoon being a frequent cause of vaginitis or urethritis. The image also shows bihydrated calcium oxalate crystals, with their typical bipyramidal shape, and squamous epithelial cells. By manual microscopy, TV is usually identified by its morphology coupled with its rapid and irregular movements through the slide. This image demonstrates that TV can be identified by sediMAX in spite of the impossibility to show the protozoon motility.

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