title: [The etiologic diversity of vaginitis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish the different etiologies of vaginitis and, especially, assess the distribution of responsible pathogens through a prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and sixty-nine women aged between 18 and 65 years (average age: 33.7 years old), consulting a physician for symptoms of vaginitis, were examined in 21 centers of gynaecology or infectious diseases. The clinical evaluation was completed by bacteriological sample that was tested for infections (including sexually transmitted infections (STIs)).
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and eighteen patients (69.8%) had one or several infectious etiologies distributed as follows: 79 (46.7%) candidiasis (3 of which were caused by non albicans Candida), 37 (21.9%) bacterial vaginitis and 16 (9.5%) bacterial vaginosis. To be noticed that there were 38 cases of mixed etiologies out of the 118 infectious etiologies (32.2%), 3 of them were STIs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although candidiasis was the most common etiology in this study, it only represented less than 1 out of every two patients. Among the infectious etiologies, 1 out of 3 women presented a bacterial or mixed vaginitis. The etiological diversity of vaginitis leads to consider broad-spectrum treatment as first-line therapy and to prescribe a microbiological analysis in case of failure.
authors.affiliation: Institut Fournier, 25, boulevard Saint-Jacques, 75014 Paris, France. jmbohbot@msn.com
authors.forename: J-M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bohbot
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sednaoui
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Verriere
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Achhammer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002181:Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D014627:Vaginitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology