title: Gardnerella vaginalis in prepubertal girls.
abstract: A prospective study was established to determine the significance of the isolation of Gardnerella vaginalis from the vagina in prepubertal children. Two hundred fifty-six children were enrolled. Group 1 consisted of 137 children who had been victims of sexual abuse; group 2, forty-eight children with genitourinary complaints and no history of sexual abuse; and group 3, seventy-one children with no genitourinary complaints and no history of sexual abuse. Gardnerella vaginalis was isolated from 20 patients (14.6%) in group 1 and five (4.2%) of 119 control patients from groups 2 and 3. Within group 1, G vaginalis was more likely to be isolated from children with a history of multiple episodes of sexual abuse than those with a single episode. Gardnerella vaginalis was not associated with any other historical, physical, or laboratory findings, including vaginal erythema or vaginal discharge.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006194:Gardnerella vaginalis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis