Use of wet mount to predict Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhea cervicitis in primary care.
OBJECTIVE
Cervicitis is associated with salpingitis, infertility, and complications of pregnancy. Universal screening has been recommended for high-prevalence populations but may not be appropriate in the family practice setting. Leukocytes on an endocervical gram stain have been associated with infectious cervicitis due to Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhea. This study sought to determine whether the finding of leukocytes in a vaginal wet mount could be used to screen for infectious cervicitis in an urban family practice.


METHODS
A consecutive sample of 357 women had cultures for C trachomatis and N gonorrhea and a standardized wet mount.


RESULTS
All women with infectious cervicitis were under age 35. Thirty-six percent of infected women had more leukocytes than epithelial cells in the wet mount, compared with 23% of women without these organisms.


CONCLUSIONS
Wet mount findings did not reliably predict infectious cervicitis. Study of a larger population is needed to confirm these findings.
Majeroni
B A
BA
Department of Family Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, NY, USA.
Schank
J N
JN
Horwitz
M
M
Valenti
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008875:Middle Aged; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016870:Neisseriaceae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D014246:Trichomonas vaginalis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002575:Uterine Cervicitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000379:methods*