Clinical characteristics and vaginal microbiome associated with trichomoniasis, vulvovaginal candidiasis, and non-albicans yeast infections in Japan
The prevalence of vaginal trichomoniasis in Japan has not been well characterized. Vaginal fluid samples were obtained from women who visited the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2021 and the Sexually Transmitted Infection Clinic in 2024 in Tokyo, Japan. A total of 206 samples were collected from two centers: 119 from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and 87 from the sexually transmitted infections clinic. Among 206 samples, 5 were positive for T. vaginalis, 1 showed co-infection with T. vaginalis and C. albicans, 28 were positive for C. albicans, and 13 were non-albicans yeasts. This analysis showed that infection with T. vaginalis is associated with an increase in anaerobic bacteria and that Lactobacillus iners is the predominant Lactobacillus species in Tokyo, Japan.