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

Abstract

<abstract><sec> <title>Background</title> <p>Many infectious and noninfectious triggers lead to inflammation of the vagina.</p> </sec><sec> <title>Aim</title> <p>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.</p> </sec><sec> <title>Results</title> <p>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. <italic>Candida</italic> 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 <italic>Candida</italic> spp., detected in 21% of the cases.</p> </sec><sec> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>Bacterial vaginosis is the most common cause of vaginitis. We observed that 24% of females experienced mixed infections, and <italic>Candida albicans</italic> was the most common fungal species causing VVC. <italic>Trichomonas vaginalis</italic> prevalence was underestimated using wet mounts.</p> </sec></abstract>