Prevalence of Candida albicans in vaginal fluid of asymptomatic Portuguese women

Abstract

Candida albicans is by far the most frequent agent of genital candidosis. We studied the prevalence of C albicans in normal asymptomatic women attending primary health care centers throughout Portugal. The overall prevalence of C albicans in the vaginal fluid of 1,004 women studied was 10.4%. Interestingly, the prevalence rates were lower (6.8%) in women taking combination oral contraceptives and higher (13.0%) in those using intrauterine devices.

PIP: In Portugal, a physician from a rural primary health care center and one from an urban primary health care center from each of 18 districts took vaginal swabs from 1004 14-to-80-year-old asymptomatic women to send to a laboratory at the University of Porto School of Medicine, where staff examined 1 week old cultures for yeast cells. This vaginal fluid collection was part of a research project of the Portuguese Group for the Study of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease and Sexually Transmitted Diseases based at the University's Departments of Microbiology, Biostatistics, and Hygiene and Social Medicine. They confirmed 104 positive Candida albicans cultures (10.4%). C. albicans prevalence was considerably higher in women using an IUD than it was in women using an oral contraceptive (13% vs. 6.8%; p = .03). Prevalence was also greater among women whose vaginal fluid had a macroscopic appearance suspicious of candidosis than among those whose vaginal fluid did not have such an appearance (p .05). Pregnant women had the highest colonization rates. The various means for daily genital care (i.e., soap vs. antiseptics) did not influence C. albicans prevalence. These results were probably representative of the female population in Portugal.