A new fingerstick test can diagnose one of the world’s most common STIs in just five minutes.
Trichomoniasis, or trich, often goes undetected because 70 percent of cases are asymptomatic.
The little-known infection – caused by a parasite – affects millions each year and is more common than chlamydia and gonorrhea in some parts of the world.
The new test, developed by Washington State University scientists, can detect an antibody specific to the ‘neglected’ infection with just one drop of blood.
It costs less than $20 (£16) to develop, making the DIY test affordable and easy to mass-produce.
People receive their results within minutes and can view them in the same way as a covid lateral flow or pregnancy test – with a dot indicating the presence of trich (left)
After collecting a blood sample and combining it with a buffer serum, add it to the cartridge, cap and add the second buffer. Then you can remove the cap and read the results
People receive their results within minutes and can view them in the same way as a covid lateral flow or pregnancy test – with a dot indicating the presence of trich.
Once diagnosed, trichomoniasis is easily cured with antibiotics.
The NHS says treatment often involves taking metronidazole twice a day for five to seven days.
However, if left untreated, trich can lead to increased vulnerability to HIV and prostate cancer in men, as well as infertility and pregnancy complications in women, such as preterm birth and low birth weight.
The parasite behind the infection is usually transmitted by having sex without using a condom or by sharing unwashed sex toys, according to the NHS.
According to the World Health Organization, trich is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease in the world.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are an estimated 30 million cases per year and experts have suggested that this is a contributing factor in the spread of HIV.
However, the infection is less common in the UK, as researchers at University College London found in 2016 when they tested the urine of more than 4,000 people.
Trich was detected in only seven of the urine samples, and all positive tests were females.
If symptoms are present, they usually develop within a month of infection and include genital itching and a burning sensation when urinating.
The fingerstick test (pictured with the packaging components) can detect an antibody specific to the ‘neglected’ infection from just one drop of blood
Once diagnosed, trichomoniasis, which is caused by the parasite trichomonas vaginalis, is easily curable with antibiotics (Photo: Positive tests for a woman (1,3,5) and a man (2,4,6))
Both men and women can currently be swabbed to test for trich. Urine samples can also be used for research.
Home tests are also already available in the US, where you can send a Pap smear and/or urine sample to a lab.
But wait times for either method can be long and the tests can be costly, with men specifically testing women.
The home fingerstick test identifies an antibody produced by men and women when they are infected, so it can diagnose both sexes.
Lead study author Professor John Alderete said: ‘Trich is the most common STI you’ve probably never heard of.
“This STI is perhaps the most neglected of the other curable STIs. We just haven’t done well in medicine in educating people.”
He said a vaccine that works against the infection may never be possible because “the organism is well equipped to evade our immune responses.”
“But I would say we don’t need a vaccine. We just need to diagnose people, and once they are diagnosed, they can be cured,” Professor Alderete added.
The research has been published in the Pathogens log.