Three Trichomonas vaginalis from the urinary sediment of a patient with vaginitis. There are many white blood cells and squamous cells. Sternheimer-Malbin stain, X400.
Two T. vaginalis from the urinary sediment of another patient with vaginitis. There are many bacteria and squamous cells. Sternheimer-Malbin stain, X400.
T. vaginalis from the urinary sediment of yet another patient with vaginitis. The T. vaginalis is in the center of the field, unstained with supervital stain and slightly larger than a white blood cell. Live T. vaginalis moves, but dead T. vaginalis loses its flagella, and does not move. For this reason, dead T. vaginalis can be mistaken for a white blood cell. The nuclei of white blood cells are easy to see, but the contents of this protozoan cannot be seen even long after a supervital stain is used. Sternheimer-Malbin stain, X400.