Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 12, 2026 1 hour, 34 minutes ago
Medical News: Millions of people unknowingly carry trichomoniasis, a parasitic sexually transmitted infection that most have never heard of. Despite being the world’s most common curable STI, it continues to spread quietly because symptoms are often mild or completely absent. Experts warn that this stealthy infection can increase vulnerability to HIV and complicate pregnancies yet public awareness remains alarmingly low.
A Tulane led trial involving secnidazole may bring a simpler cure for the overlooked STI trichomoniasis
Tulane University leads a major investigation
A research team from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine has launched a groundbreaking multiyear project to test whether a newly approved drug called secnidazole could outperform the long-used treatment metronidazole. Backed by a USD 9.2 million grant from the US National Institutes of Health, the fiv- year study will enroll 1200 people across clinics in Louisiana Alabama and Florida.
The goal is simple but critical identify which medication clears infections more reliably and whether a new one dose option can help drive down stubborn reinfection rates. Researchers explained that metronidazole the current standard leaves about one in ten patients still infected even after completing treatment.
Why treatment often fails
Dr Patty Kissinger a professor of epidemiology at Tulane University says this gap is no longer acceptable. She notes that prior studies show metronidazole works best as a multiday course but many patients miss doses or resume sexual activity too early unknowingly reinfecting themselves. The trial will be the first in the world to directly compare secnidazole and metronidazole head-to-head and also the first in this NIH supported series to include men.
Secnidazole has already attracted attention because it requires only a single dose - something researchers hope may improve compliance especially in communities with limited access to healthcare. However, its cost could become a barrier if the drug becomes the recommended standard.
A deep South hotspot
Trichomoniasis infects around 156 million people every year globally and more than three million in the United States alone. Rates are particularly high in the Deep South where screening access is already stretched. African American women are disproportionately affected being four times more likely to contract the parasite. For pregnant women the infection raises the risk of premature birth and serious infant complications. Those infected also face a 1.5 times higher susceptibility to HIV due to genital inflammation.
Raising the alarm and rebuilding awareness
Experts stress that the STI has been neglected largely due to silent symptoms and because health agencies do not recommend routine screening for people without complaints. That leaves countless carriers undiagnosed for years allowing ongoing transmission. This Medical News report underscores that the Tulane led trial is not only about testing pills but also about lifting trichomoniasis out of obscurity and prompting healthcare systems to take it seriously.
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;strong>Conclusion
If secnidazole proves superior and affordable researchers say the impact could be profound. A simple one dose cure paired with expanded public awareness could sharply cut infection rates reduce pregnancy related complications and potentially limit HIV spread in vulnerable regions. Ultimately the study highlights that a long ignored STI may finally receive modern tools to control it and the findings could reshape public health recommendations for screening treatment and prevention across whole communities.
Reference:
https://journals.lww.com/stdjournal/citation/2023/10000/where_do_tinidazole_and_secnidazole_fit_in_with.14.aspx
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