A study on vaginitis among pregnant and non-pregnant females in Alexandria, Egypt: An unexpected high rate of mixed vaginal infection.

BACKGROUND

Many infectious and noninfectious triggers lead to inflammation of the vagina.

AIM: We investigated the prevalence of causative vaginitis microorganisms in 516 pregnant and nonpregnant female volunteers. Vaginal samples were examined microscopically, cultured and tested for different pathogens.

RESULTS

Of the participants, 310 (60.1%) were pregnant, whereas 206 (39.9%) were nonpregnant. Using Amsel's criteria and Nugent's scores, bacterial vaginosis (BV) was diagnosed in 59.1%, and the prevalence of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) was 50.2% in the population. Candida infections were significantly higher in nonpregnant females (p value ≤ 0.01), and 24% of females had mixed infections. The most common mixed infection was BV and Candida spp., detected in 21% of the cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Bacterial vaginosis is the most common cause of vaginitis. We observed that 24% of females experienced mixed infections, and Candida albicans was the most common fungal species causing VVC. Trichomonas vaginalis prevalence was underestimated using wet mounts.