Evaluation of Vaginal Culture Results in Recurrent Vaginitis

Abstract

Introduction: Vaginitis is one of the most common complaints of women who present to health institutions. This study aimed to evaluate the results of vaginal culture obtained from patients who were admitted to the outpatient clinic because of recurrent vaginitis. Methods: Patient records including vaginal culture results of patients aged 18-49 years who were admitted to the gynecology outpatient clinics of the University of Health Sciences Turkey, İstanbul Training and Research Hospital between January 2018 and June 2020 with the complaint of recurrent vaginitis were analyzed retrospectively. Results: The mean age of the 206 patients included in the study was 34.4±12.2 years. Of the 206 vaginal cultures, 124 (60,1%) were negative and 82 (39.8%) were culture positive. Thirty-four patients (16,5%) had mixt microorganisms, 22 had Candida species (10,6%) and 11 had Gardnerella vaginalis (5,3%). Various bacteria were isolated in 15 patients. Conclusion: The rate of vaginitis recurrence and type of microorganism detected can be affected by various factors such as sociocultural structure, race, education level, and contraception method. Only a few studies examined vaginal culture results in patients with recurrent and persistent vaginitis in general and in Turkey. In this study, the contribution of vaginal culture to patient management was limited in this patient group; moreover, the incidence of recurrent vaginitis was lower in women who were using the barrier method.

Keywords

• vaginitis
• candida
• gardnerella vaginalis
• trichomonas