Can trichomonas vaginalis cause pneumonia in newborn babies?

Abstract

The differential diagnosis of respiratory distress in the newborn baby is often difficult. The clinical and radiological picture of conditions such as bacterial and aspiration pneumonia may be similar to those of delayed absorption of lung fluid. Many babies are therefore treated empirically with antibiotics. We describe a patient who was considered to have one of the above conditions until microscopical examination of a wet preparation of tracheal aspirate showed many Trichomonas vaginalis organisms.