International Journal of Women's Health (Apr 2022)

Vaginal Infections’ Etiologies in South-Eastern Gabon – An Overview

  • Bignoumba M,
  • Mbombe Moghoa KH,
  • Muandze-Nzambe JU,
  • Kassa Kassa RF,
  • Mouanga Ndzime Y,
  • Gafou A,
  • Longo Pendy NM,
  • Onanga R,
  • Kumulungui BS

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 14
pp. 505 – 515

Abstract

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Michelle Bignoumba,1,2 Kelly H Mbombe Moghoa,1,3 Jean Ulrich Muandze-Nzambe,1,4 Roland Fabrice Kassa Kassa,1 Yann Mouanga Ndzime,1 Amahani Gafou,1 Neil Michel Longo Pendy,3 Richard Onanga,1 Brice Serge Kumulungui1,2 1Medical Analysis Research Unit (URAM)/Bacteriology, International Center for Medical Research (CIRMF), Franceville, BP 769, Gabon; 2Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Masuku University of Science and Technology (USTM), Franceville, BP 067, Gabon; 3Central African Regional Doctoral School in Tropical Infectiology (ECODRAC), Masuku University of Science and Technology (USTM), Franceville, BP 876, Gabon; 4Laboratory of Biochemistry and Applied Immunology (LABIA), Department de Biochimie-Microbiologie, Joseph KI-ZERBO University, Ouagadougou 03, 03 BP 7021, Burkina FasoCorrespondence: Michelle Bignoumba, Tel +24162521247, Email [email protected]: Discomfort in women of childbearing age associated with vaginal infections, namely bacterial vaginosis (BV), aerobic vaginitis (AV), vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), and trichomoniasis (TV), represent a serious and ongoing gynecological complication throughout the world.Objective: This study aimed to investigate the etiologies of vaginal infections among outpatients in south-eastern Gabon.Methodology: A cross-sectional study was designed using participants referred directly by their treating doctor for a vaginal swab. Socio-demographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Microscopic examinations were used for TV and BV diagnostic. All vaginal swabs were cultured for AV and VVC isolates using standard microbiology methods.Results: A total of 573 women of reproductive age participated in the study. The most common identified vaginal infections were BV (62.8%) and AV (51.1%) followed by VVC (34.1%). No significant difference was observed for each etiology compared to socio-demographic data. Streptococcus B (23.9%), Staphylococcus aureus (17.7%), Klebsiella spp. (11.6%), and E. coli (5.8%) were the bacteria most associated with AV. A high incidence of non-C. albicans Candida (NCAC) strains causing vulvovaginitis were found. The prevalence of TV (2.1%) was low. Mixed infections had been common among participants. No association was found with TV and other vaginal infections, unlike others studies. The present study identified BV 228 (83.5%) and AV 227 (83.2%) as the main cause of mixed infections. The mixed infection AV-BV 113 (41.4%) was the most represented.Conclusion: Also that simultaneous AV-BV-VVC represented 69 (25.3%) of mixed infections. Molecular analyses would be needed to identify the key species commonly associated with these vaginal infections.Keywords: bacterial vaginosis, aerobic vaginitis, vulvovaginal candidiasis, trichomonal vaginitis, vaginitis

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