Diagnostic accuracy of real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of

Background: Vaginal trichomoniasis is a highly prevalent parasitic infection associated with HIV acquisition and preterm birth. The 'gold standard' for its diagnosis requires 3-7 days to detect by culture. Rapid and accurate diagnosis, such as by nucleic acid amplification testing, is key to manage the disease, and control and prevent its transmission. Aim: This review aimed to assess the overall accuracy of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based assays, for routine diagnosis of Methods: MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and other sources were used to search for included studies published between 01 January 1995 and 31 July 2023. The search terms 'real-time polymerase chain reaction', 'real-time', 'polymerase chain reaction', ' Results: Twenty-seven eligible studies met our inclusion criteria: sensitivity 99% (95% confidence interval [CI] 99-100), specificity 100% (95% CI 100-100), positive likelihood ratio 350.67 (167.42-734.49), negative likelihood ratio 0.02 (0.01-0.03), diagnostic odds ratio 23 064.05 (95% CI 8532.13-62 346.77), and area under receiver operating characteristics curve 0.99. There was significant heterogeneity in sensitivity and specificity ( Conclusion: Our results suggested that RT-PCR assays could be useful for the diagnosis of vaginal trichomoniasis with high sensitivity and specificity. What this study adds: This article provides a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of RT-PCR assays for the diagnosis of trichomoniasis with high sensitivity and specificity in comparison to other methods in clinical laboratory practice. The goal is to present awareness/evidence that this assay is more accurate and rapid than other techniques.