EXAMINING THE INCIDENCE OF CANDIDA ALBICANS AND TRICHOMONAS VAGINALIS AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN RURAL COMMUNITIES OF KOGI STATE

to examine among A The samples pooled The Analysis conducted on samples total samples tested positive , tested positive and were negative no co-occurrence reported. The study concludes disease is prevalent in Kogi and recommends a enlightenment approach.

Fungal infections are a public health issue that is currently becoming prevalent in our society and contribute to morbidity and mortality in healthy and immunocompromised individuals, respectively (Richardson & Moyes, 2015;Tong & Tang, 2017). It affects immunocompromised and uncompromised because they can increase under nutrientrich and nutrient-poor conditions (van Ende et al., 2019). The polymorphic fungus Candida albicans is a member of the average human microbiome (Mayer et al., 2013) and the most common opportunistic fungal infections (Bakhtiari et al., 2019;Kornitzer, 2019).Candida albicans have evolved to persist in the numerous challenging niches of the human body (Nikou et al., 2019). Over the years, evidence has implicated Candida albicans as one of the primary causal agents of health-threatening invasive infections with increased mortality (Chen et al., 2020). Candida albicans is a commensal resident of the human gastrointestinal and genital tracts (Desai, 2018) and the most common cause of nosocomial fungal urinary tract infections (Behzadi et al., 2015). Also, Candida albicans have the potential of invading the gut epithelium barrier via microfold cells and enter the bloodstream (Tong & Tang, 2017).
Vaginal candidiasis is frequent in pregnant women and is associated with sepsis and adverse neonatal outcomes (Ghaddar et al., 2020). Pregnant women are more susceptible to vaginal candidiasis, which may lead to pregnancy complications like abortions, premature birth, low birth weight, and other morbidities (Ocan et  flagellated protozoan that has been associated with the vaginal pathogen and is typically located in the lower genitourinary tract. It has been recovered from the vagina, skin glands, Bartholin glands, and urethra of the female. Trichomonas vaginalis is transmitted by sexual contact. Approximately eight percent of female sexual partners of infected males become infected. However, research indicates that it is identified more frequently in pregnant women than in nonpregnant women (Han et al., 2019). Trichomoniasis infection is highly associated with the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as gonorrhea. If contacted before or during pregnancy, this infection can cause serious health problems through preterm labor, premature rupture of the membrane, and neonatal infection (Elgebe, 2003). Trichomonas vaginalis has been isolated from the respiratory tract of infants with respiratory disease and the conjunctivae of several infants with conjunctivitis in newborns. Evidence suggests that the infants become infected during vaginal deliveries of infected mothers.

Method: -
Three hundred and thirty-six (n=336) pregnant women attending antenatal care in public health institutions across Kogi state were randomly selected as the study participants. The study was conducted between December 2020 and February 2021. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. The participant's ages ranged between 30 and 45 years.

Sample collection and analysis
The study participants were recruited with the aid of clinicians attending to pregnant patients in the public health centers. A total of three hundred and fifty pregnant women were briefed on the purpose of the study in various antenatal centers. However, three hundred and twenty-three consented to the study and were given the swab for sample collection. The samples were collected by the ante-natal care provider and were stored adequately for our retrieval. The samples were further subjected to laboratory analysis using the standard procedure similar to Udoh et al. (2020) Result: - The above table shows that the total number of infected participants supersedes the non-infected participants. A total of two hundred and six (n=206), representing 61.3% of the study's total population, tested positive for candidiasis caused by the C. albicans. Seventeen (n=17) of the population (5.1%) tested positive for T. vaginalis. While one hundred and thirteen (n=113) representing (33.6%) tested negative for both diseases.

Discussion: -
The primary objective of the current study was to determine the prevalence of C. albicans and T. vaginalis infections using a sample of women who are attending ante-natal care in the state's public health facilities. A total of three hundred and thirty-six vaginal specimens were pooled from participants through their consulting physicians.

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The analysis conducted on the samples showed that in all, two hundred and six of the total vaginal specimens representing 61.3% of the whole samples tested positive for C. albicans, while seventeen representing 5.1% tested positive for T. vaginalis. However, one hundred and thirteen of the samples representing 33.6% were confirmed negative for neither of the fungi. Consistent with a previous study (Nwosu & Djieyep, 2007), there was no reported co-occurrence of the infection among the participants. However, the finding supported literature affirming the

Practical implication
The study contributes to the infectious disease literature by providing evidence of the prevalence of. albicans and T. vaginalis infections in Kogi state. The study also provides valuable data to the Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which aims to improve maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes and other relevant health promotion agencies.

Conclusion: -
The present study was aimed to examine the prevalence of C. albicans and T. vaginalis. Consequently, the findings showed that the incidence of the infections persists in the study parameter. It is concluded that C. albicans and T. vaginalis infections as a public health concern are pervasive among pregnant women in the rural communities of Kogi state. Perhaps, this revelation is novel given the unavailability of documented data. Thus, it is recommended that robust enlightenment programs be instituted to inform women about the infection and overcome it. Furthermore, as Nsofor et al., (2016) noted, that the public should be enlightened on the dangers of tight underwear and indiscriminate use of antibiotics as measure to decrease the incidence of the disease.

Funding
The study was funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund).