Abstract
Background: The risk of bacterial infection is higher in people who smoke regularly and in those who are exposed to second-hand smoke. However, research on the connection between serum cotinine and Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) infection is lacking.
Methods: 4392 participants (2280 women) aged 20 to 59 years who completed a questionnaire about Sociodemographics, lifestyle, physical disease status, and T.vaginalis infection were part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2013 to 2016. Generalized models examined the relationships between serum cotinine levels and T.vaginalisprevalence. Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to adjust for potential confounding factors. Restricted cubic splines (RCSs) were used to examine nonlinear associations between serum cotinine and the prevalent of T.vaginalis.
Results: T. vaginalis infections were reported in 95 cases (2.2%) overall. After adjusting for confounding factors, each increase in lg-cotinine was associated with a 1.72 higher likelihood of contracting T. vaginalis, with 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.44-2.06). After adjusting for relevant confounders, the highest tertiles (vs. lowest) of cotinine (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=6.56 (95% CI 2.20~19.58). RCSs analysis revealed that serum cotinine was nonlinearly associated with T. vaginalis infection rate (p for nonlinearity<0.05). In addition, the results of the subgroup and stratified analyses were robust.
Conclusion: According to our cross-sectional research, serum cotinine and T. vaginalis infection have a bad relationship. Further high-quality research is required to determine the cause-and-effect link between tobacco exposure and T. Vaginalis infection.