Bacterial infections Archives - Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2012;34(5):209-214
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032012000500004
PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis and to compare the accuracy of testing pH and KOH with the Nugent gradient, the gold standard for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in asymptomatic and symptomatic pregnant women at low risk. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 321 pregnant women with gestational age between 14 and 26 weeks, 218 of them asymptomatic and 103 with vaginal complaints suggestive of bacterial vaginosis. All women were assessed by the criteria of Nugent and subjected to the measurement of vaginal pH and to the 10% KOH test. The Kappa coefficient was used to evaluate the methods in terms of diagnostic agreement. RESULTS: Most patients were adolescents (mean age 21.0±5.6 years), nulliparous and mulattos. The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was 33.3% as estimated by the pH and KOH method and 35.5% by the Nugent method. Excellent agreement of the methods was found among asymptomatic pregnant women, with 72.5% of them showing negative results to both tests, which resulted in a high Kappa coefficient (k=0.82). The group of symptomatic women showed 49.5% positivity to both diagnostic methods, with excellent agreement (k=0.74). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis determined by both the pH and KOH method and the Nugent score was high. The pH and KOH method can diagnose bacterial vaginosis as accurately as the Nugent criterion.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2012;34(5):209-214
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032012000500004
PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis and to compare the accuracy of testing pH and KOH with the Nugent gradient, the gold standard for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in asymptomatic and symptomatic pregnant women at low risk. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 321 pregnant women with gestational age between 14 and 26 weeks, 218 of them asymptomatic and 103 with vaginal complaints suggestive of bacterial vaginosis. All women were assessed by the criteria of Nugent and subjected to the measurement of vaginal pH and to the 10% KOH test. The Kappa coefficient was used to evaluate the methods in terms of diagnostic agreement. RESULTS: Most patients were adolescents (mean age 21.0±5.6 years), nulliparous and mulattos. The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was 33.3% as estimated by the pH and KOH method and 35.5% by the Nugent method. Excellent agreement of the methods was found among asymptomatic pregnant women, with 72.5% of them showing negative results to both tests, which resulted in a high Kappa coefficient (k=0.82). The group of symptomatic women showed 49.5% positivity to both diagnostic methods, with excellent agreement (k=0.74). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis determined by both the pH and KOH method and the Nugent score was high. The pH and KOH method can diagnose bacterial vaginosis as accurately as the Nugent criterion.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2010;32(2):82-87
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032010000200006
PURPOSE: to study the clinical and microbiological profile of women with bacterial vaginosis participating in a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, which compared the vaginal use of preparations from red pepper tree and metronidazole for the treatment of genital discharge. METHODS: the study was conducted on a series of 277 women with bacterial vaginosis concomitantly diagnosed by the criteria of Amsel and Nugent, selected from a total of 462 recruited patients using the information obtained before intervention. Data were analyzed with the Epi-Info 3.32 software. In order to compare the outcomes frequencies between the intervention groups, the χ2 test was used and the risk ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated. The intention to treat analysis was performed. In addition to the determination of diagnostic parameters, the culture of vaginal content and a Papanicolaou cytology test were also performed. RESULTS: the most frequent clinical complaints were genital discharge, observed in 206 participants (74.4%) and the fish odor of the vaginal secretion, which occurred in 68.6% of the cases (190 patients). Among the diagnostic clinical criteria, the presence of clue-cells was positive in 275 women (99.3%), the Whiff test, in 266 (96.0%), followed by pH >4.5, which occurred in 92.8% of the cases, and by the presence of fluid grayish discharge reported by 206 participants (74.4%). Regarding the Nugent criterion, the median score was 8.0. Culture of the vaginal content permitted the identification of Gardnerella vaginalis in 96.8% of cases and of Mobiluncus in 53.1%. Only one third of the exams showed the presence of Lactobacillus (89 women - 32.1%). Fungal growth occurred in the cultures of 14 participants (5.1%). In most cases, culture revealed the presence of Corynebacterium (94.2%), Gram-positive cocci (98.2%), as well as Gram-positive (99.3%) and Gram-negative (91.0%) bacilli. Oncotic colposcopy revealed a very scarce presence of lactobacilli, which were present in only 8 cytological exams (2.9%) out of the total of 273 exams performed. CONCLUSIONS: the results of the present study did not differ from the literature regarding the symptoms reported by the women, the clinical criteria most frequently observed in the diagnosis, or the bacterial species detected in cultures of vaginal content. These findings indicate the need for further studies that might better elucidate the interrelations between the microbiological findings and the clinical expression of bacterial vaginosis.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2010;32(2):82-87
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032010000200006
PURPOSE: to study the clinical and microbiological profile of women with bacterial vaginosis participating in a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, which compared the vaginal use of preparations from red pepper tree and metronidazole for the treatment of genital discharge. METHODS: the study was conducted on a series of 277 women with bacterial vaginosis concomitantly diagnosed by the criteria of Amsel and Nugent, selected from a total of 462 recruited patients using the information obtained before intervention. Data were analyzed with the Epi-Info 3.32 software. In order to compare the outcomes frequencies between the intervention groups, the χ2 test was used and the risk ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated. The intention to treat analysis was performed. In addition to the determination of diagnostic parameters, the culture of vaginal content and a Papanicolaou cytology test were also performed. RESULTS: the most frequent clinical complaints were genital discharge, observed in 206 participants (74.4%) and the fish odor of the vaginal secretion, which occurred in 68.6% of the cases (190 patients). Among the diagnostic clinical criteria, the presence of clue-cells was positive in 275 women (99.3%), the Whiff test, in 266 (96.0%), followed by pH >4.5, which occurred in 92.8% of the cases, and by the presence of fluid grayish discharge reported by 206 participants (74.4%). Regarding the Nugent criterion, the median score was 8.0. Culture of the vaginal content permitted the identification of Gardnerella vaginalis in 96.8% of cases and of Mobiluncus in 53.1%. Only one third of the exams showed the presence of Lactobacillus (89 women - 32.1%). Fungal growth occurred in the cultures of 14 participants (5.1%). In most cases, culture revealed the presence of Corynebacterium (94.2%), Gram-positive cocci (98.2%), as well as Gram-positive (99.3%) and Gram-negative (91.0%) bacilli. Oncotic colposcopy revealed a very scarce presence of lactobacilli, which were present in only 8 cytological exams (2.9%) out of the total of 273 exams performed. CONCLUSIONS: the results of the present study did not differ from the literature regarding the symptoms reported by the women, the clinical criteria most frequently observed in the diagnosis, or the bacterial species detected in cultures of vaginal content. These findings indicate the need for further studies that might better elucidate the interrelations between the microbiological findings and the clinical expression of bacterial vaginosis.