title: Vulvovaginitis in prepubertal girls.
abstract: This retrospective study evaluated the clinical features and findings in bacterial cultures and in microscopic examination of vaginal secretions in 80 prepubertal girls, aged 2-12 years, with vulvovaginitis. Vaginal secretions were obtained directly from the vagina with a sterile catheter carefully inserted into the vagina. Pathogenic bacteria were isolated in 36% of cases. In 59% of these cases the isolated pathogen was group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus. Candida was not found in any of the patients. The finding of leucocytes in vaginal secretions as an indicator for growth of pathogenic bacteria had a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 59%. Antimicrobial treatment should therefore be based on bacteriological findings of vaginal secretions and not on the presence of leucocytes alone.
authors.affiliation: University Chidren's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland. Tamar.Stricker@kispi.unizh.ch
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stricker
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Navratil
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Sennhauser
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019522:Vaginal Discharge / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D014848:Vulvovaginitis / Q000382:microbiology*