Cytologically diagnosed Gardnerella vaginalis infection and cervical (pre)neoplasia as established in population-based cervical screening.
OBJECTIVE
Cervical inflammation has been proposed as a cofactor in the development of cervical cancer. The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence of cervical (pre)neoplastic changes in asymptomatic women with a cytologically diagnosed Gardnerella vaginalis infection.


METHODS
Data were collected from 800,498 Dutch asymptomatic women, participating in the Dutch national screening program. Prevalences of (pre)neoplasia were calculated for G vaginalis smears using a healthy flora as reference.


RESULTS
The prevalence of G vaginalis infection was 0.6 per thousand. The odds ratio for (pre)neoplasia was significantly higher in smears with G vaginalis infection compared with smears of women with a healthy vaginal flora (odds ratio, 10.3; 95% confidence interval, 6.6-16.1).


CONCLUSIONS
Cytologically diagnosed G vaginalis smears show a strong covariation with the presence of cervical (pre)neoplasia. Future research should therefore focus on the exact causal relation between cytologic G vaginalis infection and the presence of (pre)neoplastic changes of the cervix.
Leiden Cytology and Pathology Laboratory, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Johanna M
JM
Klomp
Mathilde E
ME
Boon
Maarten
M
Van Haaften
A Peter M
AP
Heintz
D000328:Adult; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006194:Gardnerella vaginalis; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*