title: Vaginal yeast colonization and promiscuity. A study of 197 prostitutes.
abstract: In order to study the role of promiscuity in yeast colonization of the vagina we examined vaginal smears of 197 prostitutes. Forty-two (21%) showed yeast infection on culture, and Candida albicans was isolated in 93% of these cases. This rate is comparable to the rates in reports of large series of non-promiscuous women in the literature and does not suggest that promiscuity alone is a predisposing factor for vaginal yeast carriage. The rate of Candida infections was approximately the same in prostitutes taking oral contraceptives as in those not taking the pill (22 and 21%, respectively; P > 0.05). The prevalence of vaginal yeast colonization, however, was significantly higher in prostitutes under the age of 31 (30%) as compared with those over 30 (10%; P < 0.002), thus suggesting that women in the third decade of life are more prone to vaginal Candida infections than older age groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ginter
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Soyer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rieger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D002181:Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011477:Sex Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*