Introduction In gynaecology clinics, the most frequently reported women’s complaint is associated with vaginitis and vaginosis. The three most common etiologies for vaginal symptoms are bacterial vaginosis (BV), vulvovaginal candidiasis, and trichomoniasis. Carefully recorded histories, examinations, and laboratory testing to determine the aetiology of vaginal symptoms are warranted.To assess the accuracy of Affirm VPIII in BV diagnosis in women with vaginal discharge.

Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in 73 women (mean age 32+9.7 years) from March to November 2014 in a private gynaecology clinic in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza. All of the women compained of vaginal discharge. After speculum placement, we obtained material from the vaginal wall with a swab and stored it in tubes using the Ambient Temperature Transport System (ATTS). At the same time, another swab was used to collect material for the Gram test (gold standard). The project was approved by Ethical Committee of Federal University of Ceará.

Results The Affirm test identified Gardnerella vaginalis in 37/73 cases (50.7%). Comparing the results from the Affirm test with Gram staining for BV indicated that the sensitivity for the Affirm test was 83.3%, the specificity was 62.2%, and the positive and negative predictive values were 20.8% and 97.1%, respectively. The Kappa index between the tests was 0.204, which was considered a fair degree of agreement.

Conclusion The Affirm test appears to be sensitive enough to diagnose BV with satisfactory specificity for G. vaginalis.