Gardnerella infection as distinguished from cervical dysbacteriosis: the advantageous spin-off of cervical screening.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate cytologic diagnoses of dysbacteriosis and Gardnerella infection and to obtain insight into the diagnostic problems of Gardnerella.


METHODS
One hundred randomly selected samples of each of 3 diagnostic series were rescreened by 2 pathologists, resulting in 2 rescreening diagnoses and a consensus diagnosis. A smear was considered unequivocal when the original O code and the O code of the consensus diagnoses were equal and discordant when the flora diagnoses of the 2 pathologists differed.


RESULTS
Discordance was highest in the dysbacteriotic series (20%) and lowest in the healthy group (4%). Unequivocal diagnoses were established in 65% of the dysbacteriotic smears, 80% of the Gardnerella smears and 93% of the healthy smears. Misclassification of Gardnerella occurred in the presence of clusters of bacteria mixed with spermatozoa.


CONCLUSIONS
Blue mountain cells in Gardnerella infection can be identified unequivocally in cervical smears. Because of the clinical importance of treating Gardnerella, such advantageous spin-offs of cervical screening should be exploited.
Klomp
Johanna M
JM
Leiden Cytology and Pathology Laboratory, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Ouwerkerk-Noordam
Elisabeth
E
Boon
Mathilde E
ME
van Haaften
Maarten
M
Heintz
A Peter M
AP
D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006194:Gardnerella vaginalis; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis*