title: High prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in adolescent girls in a tropical area of Ecuador.
abstract: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common clinical syndrome, but data are scarce on the BV prevalence in tropical regions among sexually active and virgin adolescents. To estimate the prevalence of BV among adolescent girls in an Ecuadorian coastal town, girls were asked to complete a questionnaire on risk factors for BV and vaginal samples were examined. Bacterial vaginosis was present in 31.5% of 213 girls, and the prevalence was similar in self-reported virgin and sexually active girls (OR 1.06, 95% CI, 0.51-2.21, P = 0.88), although the power of this analysis was limited. The prevalence of BV was high among Ecuadorian adolescent girls, and did not appear to be associated with sexual activity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Investigaciones, Hospital Pedro Vicente Maldonado, Pichincha Province, Ecuador.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vaca
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guadalupe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erazo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tinizaray
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Chico
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hay
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D004484:Ecuador / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008572:Menarche; D012307:Risk Factors; D012746:Sexual Abstinence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014246:Trichomonas vaginalis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D044364:Vaginal Douching / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology