Microbial spectrum of cervicovaginal discharge in symptomatic Indian women of reproductive age group.

Cervicovaginal discharge is commonly caused by infections like aerobic vaginitis (AV), bacterial vaginosis (BV), vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and trichomoniasis. Microbial growth was found in 77.27% of samples, with AV being the most prevalent (35%) in a study of 220 symptomatic women. Bacterial vaginosis was confirmed using Nugent's and Amsel's criteria. Enterococcus spp., E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus were major AV pathogens. Non-albicans Candida species were more common than C. albicans in VVC cases. Hence, accurate microbial identification is vital for targeted therapy, especially given rising non-albicans Candida prevalence.