The significance of finding curved rods in the vaginal secretions of patients attending a genito-urinary medical clinic.
Curved rods were found in 108 (21.6%) of 500 women consecutively attending a genito-urinary medical clinic. A positive association was elicited with the wearing of an intra-uterine contraceptive device (p less than 0.001), intercourse with a casual or multiple sexual partners within the preceding 3 months (p less than 0.001) and concurrent chlamydial infection of the uterine cervix (p less than 0.025). There was no apparent relationship with contact with non-candidal balanitis, but an increased rate (31.3%) was noted in contacts of non-gonococcal urethritis indicating a need for further research into a possible aetiological role.
D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001446:Balanitis / Q000382:microbiology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D003218:Condylomata Acuminata / Q000382:microbiology; D003268:Contraception Behavior; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D014526:Urethritis / Q000382:microbiology; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology*; D014627:Vaginitis / Q000382:microbiology*