Research Journal of Medical Sciences
ISSN: Online 1993-6095ISSN: Print 1815-9346
Abstract
The most common reason for women to visit their gynecologist is Vaginitis and Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) is a common cause of vaginal infection in these women. The most common cause of fungal infections are caused by Candida sp. which can lead to a range of life-threatening invasive infections as well as non-life-threatening mucocutaneous diseases. Among the Candida sp., Candida albicans is the most common. Candida albicans is a commensal that colonizes the skin, gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts. In addition to C. albicans, non-C. albicans can also colonize mucocutaneous surfaces and are also emerging as pathogen. Certain vaginal infections can also be a risk for acquiring the human immunodeficiency virus. A total of 491 vaginal swabs were collected from all the women who participated in the study. The age of the patients was from 20-45 years with a mean age of 33 years. Two vaginal swabs were collected from each patient and transported to the microbiology laboratory for processing. The one swab was used for microscopy for wet preparation and gram stain while the other one was used for culture onto Sabouraud’s dextrose agar and incubated at 37°C for 24-48 h to see a growth of creamy, greyish moist colonies. Of the 225 positive swabs on culture, 163/225 (72.4%) were positive for Candida albicans while 62/225(27.6%) were found to be Candida species. Of the 62 that were found to be Candida species, 37/62 (16.4%) were Candida glabrata, 16/62 (7.1%) were Candida tropicalis and 9/62 (4.1%) were Candida krusei. Of the 161 pregnant women, 120/161 (74.5%) were positive for Candida albicans, 25/161 (15.5%) had Candida glabrata, 10/161 (6.2%) Candida tropicalis and 6/161 (3.7%) were infected with Candida krusei. In conclusion, VVC caused by C. albicans as well as non-albicans species of Candida is highly prevalent in the population in Makkah city.
How to cite this article:
Hani Saleh Faidah. Vulvovaginal Candidiasis among Women in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36478/rjmsci.2013.86.89
URL: https://www.makhillpublications.co/view-article/1815-9346/rjmsci.2013.86.89