Original ArticlesVaginal colonization by Candida in asymptomatic women with and without a history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis☆
Section snippets
Materials and methods
This study was approved by the committee of ethics from the University of Campinas, and informed oral consent was obtained from all subjects. Ninety-five sexually active reproductive age women took part in this study. Fifty women with a history of three or more episodes of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis per year and no vulvovaginal complaints for at least 30 days were recruited. The remaining 45 women, attending the clinic for routine gynecologic check-ups, were invited to take part in the
Results
Candida albicans was detected by PCR in 28 (29.4%) women (Table 1). Only 14 (14.7%) of the women tested (all PCR-positive) were positive for Candida by culture, and 13 (13.6%) were positive by wet mount/Gram stain (P < .02 compared with PCR).
The percentage of women positive for Candida by PCR was similar for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis patients (30%) and controls (28.8%). In contrast, detection of Candida by wet mount/Gram stain and culture was more frequent in recurrent vulvovaginal
Discussion
With the use of PCR gene amplification technology, Candida was detected in vaginal samples from 29.4% of the asymptomatic women tested. Similar frequencies of Candida colonization were observed, regardless of history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. These results reinforce previous studies11 that women may harbor Candida in their vagina in the absence of symptoms. Furthermore, the data demonstrate that in many women with no history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis, Candida
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Supported in part by Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo and Universidade Estadual de Campinas.