CAUSE
Trichomonas vaginalis, single-celled organism that has a tail like a whip. Although this organism can infect the urinary-genital tract of men and women, but the symptoms are more common in women. About 20% of women have experienced vaginal trichomoniasis during their reproductive period. In men, the organism infects the urethra, prostate and bladder, but cases rarely cause symptoms. The organism is more difficult to find in men.

SYMPTOMS
In women, the disease usually begins with a vaginal discharge is frothy and greenish yellow. Vulva (outer female genitals) can be irritated and wounded, and intercourse may cause pain. In severe cases, the vulva and surrounding skin may be inflamed and genital lips (labia) to swell. Arising pain when urinating and frequency of urination becomes frequent, resembling symptoms of a bladder infection.

Patients with men often do not show symptoms but can infect their sexual partners. Some of them issued a foamy liquid or liquid such as pus from the urethra, pain during urination and the urge to urinate more frequently. These symptoms usually occur in the morning. May experience mild inflammation of the urethra, and sometimes the tip of the penis looks moist. Infection of the epididymis causes pain to the scrotum. The prostate can also be infected.

Diagnosis
In women, the diagnosis is usually made based on the results of microscopic examination of vaginal fluid samples. In men a microscopic examination of secretions from the tip of the penis is taken in the morning before the patient to urinate and partly bred in the laboratory. If the microscopic examination results have not been convincing, urine culture can be done.

TREATMENT
Single dose of metronidazole per-oral (by mouth) can cure up to 95% of patients. Because the effectiveness of single dose in male patients is still doubtful, then the male patients the drug is usually given for 7 days. When taken with alcohol, metronidazole may cause nausea and redness in the skin. These drugs can also cause a decrease in white blood cell count and in women increases the incidence of fungal infections (genital candidiasis). Metronidazole should not be administered to a pregnant woman.