Abstract
Vaginitis, an infection of the lower genital tract in women, is known to be triggered by the overgrowth of the vagina's naturally occurring microorganisms. This study looked at the prevalence of Candida spp. and age-related disparities amongst women presenting with vaginitis at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) clinic in a tertiary hospital in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. One hundred high vaginal swabs were collected from pregnant and non-pregnant women and examined microscopically and microbiologically. Age-group 20-29 years had the highest incidence of candidal vaginitis. There was a higher occurrence of yeast cells in pregnant than in non-pregnant participants while the non-pregnant women had a greater level of bacterial cells. Forty (40) of the samples contained yeasts of Candida species representing a 40% prevalence. Three species of Candida were identified with C. albicans dominating. Of the 40 samples positive for Candida spp., 30 (75.0%) were confirmed to be C. albicans. The remaining isolates were C. tropicalis (15.0%) and C. parapsilosis (10.0%). The findings in this study would play a role in the future management of Candida-induced vaginitis.
Highlights
Vaginitis is an infection of the lower genitals in women often caused by yeasts and other fungi
Comparisons between the two groups showed that there was a higher occurrence of yeast cells in pregnant than in non-pregnant participants while the non-pregnant women had a greater number of bacterial cells (Fig. 3)
The results showed that women in age group 20–29 years had more Candida-induced vaginitis and were the dominant group in the clinic since they had the greatest number of positive Candida isolates
Summary
Vaginitis is an infection of the lower genitals in women often caused by yeasts and other fungi. It is known to be triggered by the overgrowth of Candida in the vagina and is a common infection of the female genital tract[1] It may be caused by Trichomonas vaginalis, Gardnerella vaginalis and Chlamydia trachomatis or a combination of these various microbial groups. An infection of the lower genital tract in women, is known to be triggered by the overgrowth of the vagina’s naturally occurring microorganisms. Objective: This study looked at the prevalence of Candida spp. and age-related disparities amongst women presenting with vaginitis at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) clinic in a tertiary hospital in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Prevalence of Candida spp. and age-related disparities amongst women presenting with vaginitis at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) Clinic in a Tertiary hospital in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
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