Microsatellite-based genotyping and population structure of Trichomonas vaginalis in Southwest of Turkey

The present study aimed to determine genetic variety of Trichomonas vaginalis with microsatellite markers in Turkey and to create a microsatellite typing (MT) approach in a web interface to access data collection. In addition, the endosymbiosis of Mycoplasma hominis and T. vaginalis virus (TVV) in the isolates was also studied. Methods: The allele sizes for each locus were calculated and microsatellite types were determined according to the allele profiles. The population structure was examined with Bayesian clustering method. A website (http://mttype.adu.edu.tr) was created for collection and sharing of microsatellite data. Presence of TVV and M. hominis in T. vaginalis isolates were investigated with electrophoresis and PCR. Results: Trichomonas vaginalis was detected in 30 (4.7%) of 630 samples and those were used for further analysis. The structure produced by a clustering algorithm revealed eight genetic groups. The typing of isolates according to microsatellites revealed 23 different microsatellite types. Three clones were determined among isolates (MT10 16.7%; MT18 10% and MT3 6.7%). The frequency of TVV and M. hominis was 16.6% (n=5) and 20% (n=6), respectively. Conclusions: Presence of three clones among 30 isolates indicates that microsatellite is a powerful tool for determination of clonalities among T. vaginalis isolates. Microsatellite-based genotyping is a promising approach to clarify molecular epidemiology of T. vaginalis. Microsatellite data from further studies will be deposited and presented in the web site. Here, we also presented the presence of two endosymbionts in T. vaginalis for the first time in Turkey