VAGINAL DISCHARGE - COMPARISON OF CLINICAL, LABORATORY AND MICROBIOLOGICAL FINDINGS

Of 101 fertile women (15-50 years of age) consulting in general practi ce due to vaginal discharge and/or genital malodor, bacterial vaginosi s was diagnosed in 34% and vaginal candidiasis in 23%. The presence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, genital herpes virus an d Neisseria gonorrhoeae was demonstrated in 15%, 9%, 7% and 1% of case s, respectively. No specific genital tract pathogens were found in 25 patients, where the clinical diagnosis was psychological factors (n = 5), intra-uterine device-associated discharge (n = 5), cytolytic vagin osis (n = 5), urinary tract infection (n = 3, or other/unknown causes (n = 7). In most cases diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis, vaginal candi diasis or trichomoniasis was established by clinical examination and s imple office tests (pH indicator paper, amine test, microscopy of wet smear, yeast culture kit). C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae were diag nosed by means of culture, cervicitis bring diagnosed clinically in fi ve of 15 cases with culture-confirmed chlamydial infection, while gono rrhoea was suspected from findings in a stained cervical smear. Sexual ly transmitted micro-organisms were detected in 16% of women with bact erial vaginosis or candidiasis. Of 29 women with sexually transmitted agents, 14% harbored more than one such organism.