The significance of finding curved rods in the vaginal secretions of patients attending a genito-urinary medical clinic.

Curved rods were found in 108 (21.6%) of 500 women consecutively attending a genito-urinary medical clinic. A positive association was elicited with the wearing of an intra-uterine contraceptive device (p less than 0.001), intercourse with a casual or multiple sexual partners within the preceding 3 months (p less than 0.001) and concurrent chlamydial infection of the uterine cervix (p less than 0.025). There was no apparent relationship with contact with non-candidal balanitis, but an increased rate (31.3%) was noted in contacts of non-gonococcal urethritis indicating a need for further research into a possible aetiological role.