The NHANES program suspended field operations in March 2020 due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As a result, data collection for the NHANES 2019-2020 cycle was not completed and the collected data are not nationally representative. Therefore, data collected from 2019 to March 2020 were combined with data from the NHANES 2017-2018 cycle to form a nationally representative sample of NHANES 2017-March 2020 pre-pandemic data. These data are available to the public. Please refer to the Analytic Notes section for more details on the use of the data.
Trichomoniasis (or “trich”) is a very common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by infection with a protozoan parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis. Trichomonas vaginalis infection is the most common curable sexually transmitted infection among women in the United States; it can cause inflammation that has been associated with an increased risk of HIV transmission and acquisition, and low birth weight.
Prevalence in adult men has never been measured in a nationally representative sample. Trichomonas vaginalis infection is not reportable to state and local health departments, so few other sources exist for obtaining national data.
Examined participants aged 14-59 years, in the NHANES 2017-March 2020 pre-pandemic sample, were eligible. This data file includes information from participants aged 14-17 years. Data from participants aged 18-59 years are available in a separate dataset: Trichomonas – Urine – Adult (P_TRIA_R). Both datasets may be accessed through the NCHS Research Data Center.
The GEN-PROBE APTIMA trichomonas vaginalis assay combines the technologies of target capture, Transcription-Mediated Amplification (TMA), and Dual Kinetic Assay (DKA).
Specimens are collected and transferred into their respective specimen transport tubes. The transport solutions in these tubes release the rRNA targets and protect them from degradation during storage. When the APTIMA trichomonas vaginalis assay is performed in the laboratory, the target rRNA molecules are isolated from specimens by the use of capture oligomers in a method called target capture; magnetic microparticles are another key feature of target capture. The capture oligomers contain sequences complementary to specific regions of the target molecules as well as a string of deoxyadenosine residues. A separate capture oligomer is used for each target. During the hybridization step, the sequence specific regions of the capture oligomers bind to specific regions of the target molecules. The capture oligomer: target complex is then captured out of solution by decreasing the temperature of the reaction to room temperature. This temperature reduction allows hybridization to occur between the deoxyadenosine region on the capture oligomer and the poly-deoxythymidine molecules that are covalently attached to the magnetic particles. The microparticles, including the captured target molecules bound to them, are pulled to the side of the reaction vessel using magnets and the supernatant is aspirated. The particles are washed to remove residual specimen matrix that may contain amplification reaction inhibitors. After the target capture steps are completed, the specimens are ready for amplification.
Target amplification assays are based on the ability of complementary oligonucleotide primers to specifically anneal and allow enzymatic amplification of the target nucleic acid strands. The GEN-PROBE TMA reaction replicates a specific region of the small ribosomal subunit from trichomonas vaginalis via DNA and RNA intermediates and generates RNA amplicon molecules. Detection of the rRNA amplification product sequences is achieved using nucleic acid hybridization (HPA). A single-stranded chemiluminescent DNA probe, which is complementary to a region of the target amplicon, is labeled with different acridinium ester molecule. The labeled DNA probe combines with amplicon to form stable RNA: DNA hybrids. The Selection Reagent differentiates hybridized from unhybridized probe, eliminating the generation of signal from unhybridized probe. During the detection step, light emitted from the labeled RNA: DNA hybrids is measured as photon signals in a luminometer and are reported as Relative Light Units (RLU).
Refer to the Laboratory Method Files section for a detailed description of the laboratory methods used.
Trichomonas Laboratory Procedure Manual (May 2020)
Trichomonas Laboratory Procedure Manual (August 2021)
Urine specimens are processed, stored, and shipped to the Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta GA for analysis.
Detailed instructions on specimen collection and processing are discussed in the 2017-2018 and 2019-2020 NHANES Laboratory Procedures Manuals (LPMs). Vials are stored under appropriate frozen (–30°C) conditions until they are shipped to Division of STD Prevention Laboratory for testing.
The NHANES quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) protocols meet the 1988 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act mandates. Detailed QA/QC instructions are discussed in the NHANES LPMs.
Mobile Examination Centers (MECs)
Laboratory team performance is monitored using several techniques. NCHS and contract consultants use a structured competency assessment evaluation during visits to evaluate both the quality of the laboratory work and the QC procedures. Each laboratory staff member is observed for equipment operation, specimen collection and preparation; testing procedures and constructive feedback are given to each staff member. Formal retraining sessions are conducted annually to ensure that required skill levels were maintained.
Analytical Laboratories
NHANES uses several methods to monitor the quality of the analyses performed by the contract laboratories. In the MEC, these methods include performing blind split samples collected on “dry run” sessions. In addition, contract laboratories randomly perform repeat testing on 2% of all specimens.
NCHS developed and distributed a QC protocol for all CDC and contract laboratories, which outlined the use of Westgard rules (Westgard, et al. 1981) when testing NHANES specimens. Progress reports containing any problems encountered during shipping or receipt of specimens, summary statistics for each control pool, QC graphs, instrument calibration, reagents, and any special considerations are submitted to NCHS quarterly. The reports are reviewed for trends or shifts in the data. The laboratories are required to explain any identified areas of concern.
The data were reviewed. Incomplete data or improbable values were sent to the performing laboratory for confirmation.
The COVID-19 pandemic required suspension of NHANES 2019-2020 field operations in March 2020 after data were collected in 18 of the 30 survey locations in the 2019-2020 sample. Data collection was cancelled for the remaining 12 locations. Because the collected data from 18 locations were not nationally representative, these data were combined with data from the previous cycle (2017-2018) to create a 2017-March 2020 pre-pandemic data file. A special weighting process was applied to the 2017-March 2020 pre-pandemic data file. The resulting sample weights in the present file should be used to calculate estimates from the combined cycles. These sample weights are not appropriate for independent analyses of the 2019-2020 data and will not yield nationally representative results for either the 2017-2018 data alone or the 2019-March 2020 data alone. Please refer to the NHANES website for additional information for the NHANES 2017-March 2020 pre-pandemic data, and for the previous 2017-2018 public use data file with specific weights for that 2-year cycle.
Refer to the 2017-2018 and 2019-2020 Laboratory Data Overview documents for general information on NHANES laboratory data.
There are over 800 laboratory tests performed on NHANES participants. However, not all participants provided biospecimens or enough volume for all the tests to be performed. The specimen availability can also vary by age or other population characteristics. Analysts should evaluate the extent of missing data in the dataset related to the outcome of interest as well as any predictor variables used in the analyses to determine whether additional re-weighting for item non-response is necessary.
Please refer to the NHANES Analytic Guidelines and the on-line NHANES Tutorial for details on the use of sample weights and other analytic issues.
Demographic and Other Related Variables
The analysis of NHANES laboratory data must be conducted using the appropriate survey design and demographic variables. The NHANES 2017 – March 2020 Pre-pandemicDemographics File contains demographic data, health indicators, and other related information collected during household interviews as well as the sample weight variables. The recommended procedure for variance estimation requires use of stratum and PSU variables (SDMVSTRA and SDMVPSU, respectively) in the demographic data file.
This laboratory data file can be linked to the other NHANES data files using the unique survey participant identifier (i.e., SEQN).
Detection Limits
Since this data is reported as qualitative data the use of LLODs isn’t applicable.
| Code or Value | Value Description | Count | Cumulative | Skip to Item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Positive | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Negative | 932 | 933 | |
| . | Missing | 30 | 963 |