1450
While our conclusions are based on the study of only 200 patients, we believe that these results merit publication at this stage because of their implication. This study will continue until at least 200 patients have been studied in each group. We are extremely grateful to the staff surgeons and patients who co-operated so wholeheartedly in this study. Expert technical help was provided by Mrs T Wolfe, Mrs G M Wheeler, and Mrs G Shaw. Financial help obtained from the South African Medical Research Council, the University of Cape Town Staff Research Fund, the Nellie Atkinson Trust, and Noristan Laboratories is gratefully acknowledged.
References I 2
International Multicentre Trial, Lancet, 1975, 2, 45. Sherry, S, New England Journal of Medicine, 1975, 292, 300.
BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
2 JUNE 1979
Gruber, U F, et al, Lancet, 1977, 1, 207. 'Reappraisal of Results of International Multicentre Trial, Lancet, 1977, 1, 567. Kakkar, V V, et al, Lancet, 1970, 1, 540. 6 Evans, D S, and Cockett, F B, British Medical_Journal, 1969, 2, 802. 7Rabinov, K, and Paulin, S, Archives of Surgery, 1972, 104, 134. 8 Bishop, Y M M, Fienberg, S E, and Holland, P W, Discrete Multivariate Analysis: Theory and Practice. London, M I T Press, 1975. 9 Hirsch, J, and Genton, E, DHEW Publication No (NIH) 76-866, p 183. Washington, Department of Health Education and Welfare, 1975. 10 Lahnborg, G, et al, Lancet, 1974, 1, 329. "Koppenhagen, K, et al, Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift, 1977, 102, 1374. 12 Browse, N L, Clemenson, G, and Croft, D N, British Medical_Journal, 1974, 1, 603. 13 Knight, M T N, and Metrewelli, C, British J'ournal of Surgery, 1977, 64, 712. 14 American Heart Association, Circulation, 1977, 55, 423A.
(Accepted 18 April 1979)
Vaginal microbial flora in normal young women M J GOLDACRE, B WATT, NANCY LOUDON, L J R MILNE, J D 0 LOUDON, M P VESSEY British Medical3Journal, 1979, 1, 1450-1453
Summary and conclusions Vaginal swabs were taken from 1498 women attending a family planning clinic. The flora was assessed in the absence of any information about the women to whom the swabs related. Yeasts and fungi were present in 311 women (21 %) and were no more prevalent among "pill" users than others. Candida albicans was significantly associated with vulval itching and with a vaginal discharge described as heavier than normal or curdy on clinical examination, though these abnormalities were present in only a minority of women with the organism. Trichomonas vaginalis was found in 14 women (1 %) and was associated with abnormalities of vaginal discharge in all but one. Gram-negative anaerobic bacilli were significantly more common in women with a troublesome vaginal discharge and those who used an intrauterine device than others. No associations were found between fungi other than C albicans or the other bacteria sought and either symptoms or clinical abnormalities of vaginal discharge. Introduction Information about the normal vaginal flora is needed when assessing the pathogenic role of organisms in women with genitoDepartment of Social and Community Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QN M J GOLDACRE, BM, MFCM, lecturer M P VESSEY, MD, MRCP, professor Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU B WATT, MD, MIBIOL, consultant microbiologist L J R MILNE, BSC, PHD, principal mycologist Edinburgh Family Planning Centre, Edinburgh EH4 1NL NANCY LOUDON, MB, medical co-ordinator, family planning services Eastern General Hospital, Edinburgh EH6 7LN J D 0 LOUDON, FRCS, FRCOG, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist
urinary symptoms. The vaginal flora has often been studied in selected patients-for example, in women with vaginal discomfort or discharge,'-' in women attending venereology clinics,4 5 in patients before gynaecological operations,6 and in pregnant women.8 9 Studies on normal women have, however, been fewer and usually based on small numbers.'0-'2 We have therefore studied the vaginal flora in 1498 women, who were unselected except that they sought contraceptive advice from a family planning clinic.
Patients and methods The study was conducted at the E mburg Family Planning Centre between October 1975 and March 1977. Women were included if they were either new patients or repeat attenders who had not been seen at the clinic for at least six months. The clinical methods (including questions used to elicit symptoms) are described elsewhere.'3 In brief, characteristics of the women (including symptoms if any) were recorded by a research nurse using a structured questionnaire. Each woman was then examined by a doctor who, to avoid bias, was not provided with any medical history. Findings on vaginal examination were recorded on a structured check list. Albumin-coated swabs (Exogen) were taken from the external cervical os of all women, from the vaginal fornix of all women in whom the vaginal discharge was considered to be abnormal in either quantity or consistency, and from the fornix of a sample of 145 women with no abnormal vaginal discharge. Duplicate swabs were taken from each site under direct vision through a speculum. Care was taken to minimise the possibility of contaminating a swab from one site with material from another. For each specimen one of the duplicate swabs was broken off into Stuart's transport medium (Oxoid). The other was streaked over one-third of the surface of a plate of Phillips selective medium and then broken off into trichomonas medium (Oxoid). Specimens were kept at room temperature until arrival at the laboratory, where they were used to inoculate, respectively, plates of blood agar, MacConkey's medium and neomycin blood agar (from the transport medium), and malt-peptone agar (from the trichomonas medium). The neomycin blood agar plate and one blood agar plate were incubated anaerobically in 90",, hydrogen plus 10",0 carbon dioxide. The other blood agar plate and the plate of MacConkey's medium were incubated aerobically. The flora was assessed in the absence of any information about the women to whom the swabs related. Full details of culture media, isolation procedures, and definitions used are available on request (to MJG) and will be given elsewhere. Only the predominant colony types were noted: very small numbers of other types of colony (except those on Phillips selective medium for Neisseria gonorrhoeae) were ignored.
BRITISH MEDICAL
1451
2 JUNE 1979
JOURNAL
TABLE i-Prevalence of organisms culturedfrom cervical os and vaginalfornix in presence and absence of clinically abnormal vaginal discharge. Results expressed as numbers and percentages of women Abnormal vaginal discharge
Normal vaginal discharge
Organisms
No .. 75 .44 Other fungi 94 Anaerobes. . .. 95 Coliforms 35 ,-Haemolytic streptococci 1 Neisseria gonorrhoeae 1 Trichomnonas vaginalis
Candida albicans
",
No
11-4 6-7 14-2 14-4 5-3 0-2 0-2
16 8 15 24 2 0 0
Fornix (n
145)*
Os (n
Os (n 660)
Fornix (n 693)
Os (n 693)
145)*
No
0
No
11-0 5-5
17 9
11-7 6-2
110 27
10-3 16-6 1-4
17 28 3 0 0
11-7 19-3 2-1
128 94 22 1 7
°
15-9t 3-9 18-5+ 13-6 3-2 0-1
1-0§
*Sample of women with no abnormal vaginal discharge from whom swabs were taken from both os and fornix (see text). Significance of difference in prevalence of organisms isolated from os between 693 women with abnormal discharge and 805 women without: P
While our conclusions are based on the study of only 200 patients, we believe that these results merit publication at this stage because of their implication. This study will continue until at least 200 patients have been studied in each group. We are extremely grateful to the staff surgeons and patients who co-operated so wholeheartedly in this study. Expert technical help was provided by Mrs T Wolfe, Mrs G M Wheeler, and Mrs G Shaw. Financial help obtained from the South African Medical Research Council, the University of Cape Town Staff Research Fund, the Nellie Atkinson Trust, and Noristan Laboratories is gratefully acknowledged.
References I 2
International Multicentre Trial, Lancet, 1975, 2, 45. Sherry, S, New England Journal of Medicine, 1975, 292, 300.
BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
2 JUNE 1979
Gruber, U F, et al, Lancet, 1977, 1, 207. 'Reappraisal of Results of International Multicentre Trial, Lancet, 1977, 1, 567. Kakkar, V V, et al, Lancet, 1970, 1, 540. 6 Evans, D S, and Cockett, F B, British Medical_Journal, 1969, 2, 802. 7Rabinov, K, and Paulin, S, Archives of Surgery, 1972, 104, 134. 8 Bishop, Y M M, Fienberg, S E, and Holland, P W, Discrete Multivariate Analysis: Theory and Practice. London, M I T Press, 1975. 9 Hirsch, J, and Genton, E, DHEW Publication No (NIH) 76-866, p 183. Washington, Department of Health Education and Welfare, 1975. 10 Lahnborg, G, et al, Lancet, 1974, 1, 329. "Koppenhagen, K, et al, Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift, 1977, 102, 1374. 12 Browse, N L, Clemenson, G, and Croft, D N, British Medical_Journal, 1974, 1, 603. 13 Knight, M T N, and Metrewelli, C, British J'ournal of Surgery, 1977, 64, 712. 14 American Heart Association, Circulation, 1977, 55, 423A.
(Accepted 18 April 1979)
Vaginal microbial flora in normal young women M J GOLDACRE, B WATT, NANCY LOUDON, L J R MILNE, J D 0 LOUDON, M P VESSEY British Medical3Journal, 1979, 1, 1450-1453
Summary and conclusions Vaginal swabs were taken from 1498 women attending a family planning clinic. The flora was assessed in the absence of any information about the women to whom the swabs related. Yeasts and fungi were present in 311 women (21 %) and were no more prevalent among "pill" users than others. Candida albicans was significantly associated with vulval itching and with a vaginal discharge described as heavier than normal or curdy on clinical examination, though these abnormalities were present in only a minority of women with the organism. Trichomonas vaginalis was found in 14 women (1 %) and was associated with abnormalities of vaginal discharge in all but one. Gram-negative anaerobic bacilli were significantly more common in women with a troublesome vaginal discharge and those who used an intrauterine device than others. No associations were found between fungi other than C albicans or the other bacteria sought and either symptoms or clinical abnormalities of vaginal discharge. Introduction Information about the normal vaginal flora is needed when assessing the pathogenic role of organisms in women with genitoDepartment of Social and Community Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QN M J GOLDACRE, BM, MFCM, lecturer M P VESSEY, MD, MRCP, professor Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU B WATT, MD, MIBIOL, consultant microbiologist L J R MILNE, BSC, PHD, principal mycologist Edinburgh Family Planning Centre, Edinburgh EH4 1NL NANCY LOUDON, MB, medical co-ordinator, family planning services Eastern General Hospital, Edinburgh EH6 7LN J D 0 LOUDON, FRCS, FRCOG, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist
urinary symptoms. The vaginal flora has often been studied in selected patients-for example, in women with vaginal discomfort or discharge,'-' in women attending venereology clinics,4 5 in patients before gynaecological operations,6 and in pregnant women.8 9 Studies on normal women have, however, been fewer and usually based on small numbers.'0-'2 We have therefore studied the vaginal flora in 1498 women, who were unselected except that they sought contraceptive advice from a family planning clinic.
Patients and methods The study was conducted at the E mburg Family Planning Centre between October 1975 and March 1977. Women were included if they were either new patients or repeat attenders who had not been seen at the clinic for at least six months. The clinical methods (including questions used to elicit symptoms) are described elsewhere.'3 In brief, characteristics of the women (including symptoms if any) were recorded by a research nurse using a structured questionnaire. Each woman was then examined by a doctor who, to avoid bias, was not provided with any medical history. Findings on vaginal examination were recorded on a structured check list. Albumin-coated swabs (Exogen) were taken from the external cervical os of all women, from the vaginal fornix of all women in whom the vaginal discharge was considered to be abnormal in either quantity or consistency, and from the fornix of a sample of 145 women with no abnormal vaginal discharge. Duplicate swabs were taken from each site under direct vision through a speculum. Care was taken to minimise the possibility of contaminating a swab from one site with material from another. For each specimen one of the duplicate swabs was broken off into Stuart's transport medium (Oxoid). The other was streaked over one-third of the surface of a plate of Phillips selective medium and then broken off into trichomonas medium (Oxoid). Specimens were kept at room temperature until arrival at the laboratory, where they were used to inoculate, respectively, plates of blood agar, MacConkey's medium and neomycin blood agar (from the transport medium), and malt-peptone agar (from the trichomonas medium). The neomycin blood agar plate and one blood agar plate were incubated anaerobically in 90",, hydrogen plus 10",0 carbon dioxide. The other blood agar plate and the plate of MacConkey's medium were incubated aerobically. The flora was assessed in the absence of any information about the women to whom the swabs related. Full details of culture media, isolation procedures, and definitions used are available on request (to MJG) and will be given elsewhere. Only the predominant colony types were noted: very small numbers of other types of colony (except those on Phillips selective medium for Neisseria gonorrhoeae) were ignored.
BRITISH MEDICAL
1451
2 JUNE 1979
JOURNAL
TABLE i-Prevalence of organisms culturedfrom cervical os and vaginalfornix in presence and absence of clinically abnormal vaginal discharge. Results expressed as numbers and percentages of women Abnormal vaginal discharge
Normal vaginal discharge
Organisms
No .. 75 .44 Other fungi 94 Anaerobes. . .. 95 Coliforms 35 ,-Haemolytic streptococci 1 Neisseria gonorrhoeae 1 Trichomnonas vaginalis
Candida albicans
",
No
11-4 6-7 14-2 14-4 5-3 0-2 0-2
16 8 15 24 2 0 0
Fornix (n
145)*
Os (n
Os (n 660)
Fornix (n 693)
Os (n 693)
145)*
No
0
No
11-0 5-5
17 9
11-7 6-2
110 27
10-3 16-6 1-4
17 28 3 0 0
11-7 19-3 2-1
128 94 22 1 7
°
15-9t 3-9 18-5+ 13-6 3-2 0-1
1-0§
*Sample of women with no abnormal vaginal discharge from whom swabs were taken from both os and fornix (see text). Significance of difference in prevalence of organisms isolated from os between 693 women with abnormal discharge and 805 women without: P
