title: Diagnosis of aerobic vaginitis by quantitative real-time PCR.
abstract: To evaluate a real-time PCR-based technique to quantify bacteria associated with aerobic vaginitis (AV) as a potential test.
  
  
  
  Vaginal samples from 100 women were tested by wet-mount microscopy, gram stain and quantitative real-time PCR targeting Enterobacteriacea, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, S. aureus; Lactobacillus spp. AV diagnosis obtained by wet-mount microscopy was used as reference.
  
  
  
  Some level of AV was diagnosed in 23 (23.7 %) cases. Various concentrations of Enterobacteriacea, Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp. were detected an all patients. Enterococcus spp. were detected in 76 (78.3 %) cases. Summarized concentrations of aerobes were tenfold higher in AV-positive compared to AV-negative cases [7.30lg vs 6.06lg (p = 0.02)]. Concentrations of aerobes in severe, moderate and light AV cases did not vary significantly (p = 0.14). Concentration of lactobacilli was 1000-fold lower in AV-positive cases compared to normal cases (5.3lg vs 8.3lg, p < 0.0001). Streptococcus spp. dominated in the majority of AV-positive cases [19/22 (86.4 %) samples]. The relation of high loads of aerobes to the low numbers of Lactobacilli are a reliable marker for the presence of AV and could substitute microscopy as a test.
  
  
  
  PCR may be a good standardized substitution for AV diagnosis in settings where well-trained microscopists are lacking.
authors.affiliation: Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Rumyantseva
authors.affiliation: Femicare Clinical Research for Women, Femicare vzw, Gasthuismolenstraat 31, 3300, Tienen, Belgium.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bellen
authors.affiliation: Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Y A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Savochkina
authors.affiliation: Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Guschin
authors.affiliation: Femicare Clinical Research for Women, Femicare vzw, Gasthuismolenstraat 31, 3300, Tienen, Belgium. gilbert.donders@femicare.net.|Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Antwerp, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium. gilbert.donders@femicare.net.
authors.forename: G G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Donders
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001420:Bacteria, Aerobic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012426:Russia; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology*; D014627:Vaginitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology
keywords: Abnormal vaginal flora; Aerobic vaginitis; Bacterial vaginosis; Flora alterations; Lactobacilli; Polymerase chain reaction; Vaginitis; Wet-mount microscopy