The New Indian Journal of OBGYN. 12(1):66-71

Etiological trends in vaginal discharge syndrome in patients attending the regional centre for sexually transmitted infections in central India: 2017-2021

Thenmozhi P, Manjushri R Waikar, Jitendra K Deshmukh, Sonali S Gosavi, Manisha K Sharma, Kalindi Deogade, Vandana A Agarwal

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Vaginal discharge is one of the commonest symptoms in women attending the clinic for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We have aimed to study the etiological trends of vaginal discharge syndrome (VDS) in patients attending the regional STI centre in central India. Materials and methods: Three viscose swabsticks were used to collect vaginal secretions, from 13933 patients of VDS between April 2017 to March 2021 at Regional STI centre, Govt. Medical College & Hospital, Nagpur. One swab stick was transported into 0.5 ml of sterile normal saline for gram staining and KOH preparation. The other two swabsticks were transported in Stuart’s medium for culture. Results: Of 13933 cases of VDS, 3332(23.9%) patients had VVC followed by 2630 (18.9%) patientswith BV and 188(1.3%) patients were positive for TV. Chrome agar identified 5 species of candida. The commonest was C. albicans accounting for 844(25.3%) infections followed by C. glabrata in 317(9.5%) infections, and C. parapsilosis in 308(9.2%) infections. The least encountered was C. krusei in 91(2.8%) infections. Our data has shown that mixed vaginal infections were also encountered. Candidiasis was associated with BV in 157 (2.6%) patients, with TV in 6 (0.09%) patients, BV with TV in 8(0.13%) patients and candidiasis with both BV and TV in 6(0.09%) patients. Conclusions: We found vulvovaginal candidiasis was the commonest vaginal infection followed by BV and TV. Amongst the mixed vaginal infections,the occurrence in decreasing order of frequency were candidiasis with BV followed by candidiasis with TV,then BVwith TV and least was candidiasis with both BV and TV.