title: Gardnerella vaginalis and anaerobic bacteria in genital disease.
abstract: In a study of Gardnerella vaginalis and anaerobic bacteria in non-specific vaginitis (NSV) and other genital disease 89 patients attending a genital medicine clinic had vaginal samples examined for conventional pathogens and for quantitative analysis of G vaginalis and aerobic and anaerobic bacterial flora. The overall incidence of G vaginalis was 20%; G vaginalis (mean concentration 7.0 log10/g of secretion) occurred predominantly in patients with NSV (57%) but also in sexual contacts of non-specific urethritis (NSU) (37.5%) and in patients with other conditions (11.8%). G vaginalis is therefore a relatively common isolate in patients with vaginal discharge. The concentration of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria ranged from 4.9-11.0 log10/g of secretion with an anaerobe-to-aerobe ratio of 10:1. Anaerobic bacteria, particularly anaerobic Gram-positive cocci (mean concentrations 7.7 log10/g), were present in patients with NSV and in association with G vaginalis, but they also occurred in other clinical groups and with other pathogens, particularly Trichomonas vaginalis. Anaerobic bacteria may therefore play an important role in the pathogenesis of vaginal infections.
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006194:Gardnerella vaginalis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000382:microbiology*; D006190:Haemophilus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D010460:Peptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010462:Peptostreptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology; D014627:Vaginitis / Q000382:microbiology