Washington, D.C. ? Scientists have mapped the genes of the tiny parasite that causes one of the world’s most common, and arguably least recognized, sexually transmitted infections: trichomoniasis.

Researchers hope the work will bring new attention to a parasite estimated to infect 170 million people a year worldwide, including 8 million in North America – and one emerging as a player in the spread of the AIDS virus.

Details about the four-year effort by the Institute for Genomic Research to crack the bug’s genome are published in today’s edition of the journal Science.

Most sexually transmitted infections are caused by viruses or bacteria. A microscopic, single-celled protozoan named Trichomonas vaginalis causes this one.

The good news: “Trich,” as it’s short-handed, is easily curable, with a drug called Flagyl. The bad news: Many people go undiagnosed and thus continue spreading trich.