Co-occurrence of Gardnerellavaginalis and Candida sp. in women with and without vulvovaginitis

Abstract

Aims: To detect the co-occurrence of Gardnerellavaginalis and Candida sp. in women with and without vaginal symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in women seeking treatment in a Brazilian city from March to November 2014. Data, such as age and symptoms, were noted from patients. Vaginal content samples were obtained with a swab of the vaginal wall and were fixed in ATTS (Ambient Temperature Transport System). The Affirm VPIII test (Becton Dickinson and Company, Sparks, MD, USA) was used to identify the pathogen. Fisher's exact test with a 95% confidence interval was used for the statistical analysis. Results: In total, 160 women were studied, and 13 cases were excluded. Of the 147 remaining women, fifty-two women were asymptomatic, and 95 women reported symptoms. An association between Gardnerellavaginalis(Gv) and Candida sp. (Ca) was noted in 9 cases (6.1%). Gv + Ca was observed in 1 case (1.9%) in the asymptomatic group and in 12 cases (12.6%) in the symptomatic group (p= 0,0361). Vaginal inflammation signs were observed in 8/8 (100%) cases ofcooccurrence (p<0.005). Conclusion: The co-occurrence of Gardnerellavaginalis and Candida sp. is not rare and is frequently associated with symptoms and mucosal inflammation signs.