Cytologic evidence of the association of different infective lesions with dysplastic changes in the uterine cervix.

Cervical smears from 4055 women were examined and classified as per WHO criteria. 873 (21.53%) smears revealed dysplastic changes. The dysplastic smears were further examined cytologically for the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Herpes simplex virus type-2, Human papilloma virus, Trichomonas vaginalis and Candida albicans. Chlamydia was found to be the commonest micro-organism associated with cervical dysplasia followed by Herpes simplex virus type-2 and Human papilloma virus. The association of Trichomonas and Candida with cervical dysplasia was found to be insignificant. Cervical dysplasia associated with Herpes simplex virus type-2 commonly occurred in the early reproductive life. The data observed in this study provide useful baseline information for detecting the subjects harbouring the infective microbes in the cervical epithelium.