MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Biologists at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Science have developed an alternative and more cost-effective rapid test for the detection of a common type of preventable and curable sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalent among women.
Of particular interest to Christine Justo and Windell Rivera of the Institute of Biology at UP Diliman is being able to catch trichomoniasis, an STI whose cases are usually asymptomatic.
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Trichomoniasis, which can be passed on by having sex without a condom or with a sexual partner who has it, can cause birthing problems and increased risk of pelvic inflammatory disease among women, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It could also lead to infertility in men.
Instead of using antibodies, Justo and Rivera developed 鈥渁ptamers,鈥� short DNA strands that stick to targeted proteins, which in this case are Trichomonas vaginalis, the parasite that causes trichomoniasis.
Affordable, easy to use
This discovery came from their study, 鈥淪andwich enzyme-linked aptamer-based assay for the detection of Trichomonas vaginalis,鈥� published in December last year in various medical journals, including the US National Library of Medicine.
Justo explained that a series of sandwich enzyme-linked aptamer-based assays, a multistep laboratory testing used to analyze various samples at one time, was conducted to figure out which of the aptamers could be matched to find 鈥渓ow concentrations of the parasite.鈥�
This method, the researchers noted, could lead to the creation of 鈥渕ore affordable and easy-to-use鈥� testing kits to detect trichomoniasis should it be given enough attention and funding by the government and stakeholders in the health sector.
This could help health-care workers in crafting effective measures to control the spread and manage possible complications that may arise from such STIs.
鈥淲ith the flexible and amplifiable nature of aptamers [unlike antibodies], many more aptamer-based [point-of-care testing] for trichomoniasis can be created,鈥� Justo said in a statement last week.
鈥淗owever, funding and attention to trichomoniasis is very limited. Additional financial and clinical partners are needed before we can start implementing them in health care units,鈥� she added.
The Philippines lacks regular monitoring of specific STIs among various segments of the population.
Data from the Department of Health and Family Health International showed that trichomoniasis had a prevalence rate of 3.18 percent among more than 2,000 Filipino female respondents in 2002.
At the time, trichomoniasis was detected through 鈥渃ulture or wet mount鈥� laboratory testing.
Other curable STIs found among women surveyed in the study were chlamydia (5.75 percent), gonorrhea (0.75 percent) and syphilis (0.17 percent).
The other STIs detected among Filipino women, which cannot be cured with medications, are hepatitis B, bacterial vaginosis and candidiasis.
The 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority showed only 鈥渟elf-reported prevalence鈥� of STIs and STI symptoms among women 15 to 49 years old who had sexual interaction.
The survey found that 7 percent of women aged 15 to 49 reported having STI or STI-like symptoms in the past 12 months. One percent of them said that they previously had an STI.
By age, women who were diagnosed with STI were highest among the 20 to 24 age range at 11.1 percent, followed by those aged 15 to 19 at 8.2 percent.
In 2020, about 156 million new cases of T. vaginalis infection were recorded among men and women aged 15 to 49 years old globally, according to WHO. Most of the fresh infections were from African countries.