a descriptive study on the prevalence of vulvovaginal infections and species-specific distribution of vulvovaginal candidiasis in married women of the south of iran

Background & aim: as literature shows about 20% of non-pregnant women aged 15-55 harbour candida albicans in the vagina. this study aimed to determine the characterization of candida species isolated from women with vulvovaginal candidiasis during reproductive ages. methods: this descriptive study was conducted on 280 females who were selected through purposive sampling based on their history and characteristics of vaginal discharges in 2009. among these patients, 105 females were diagnosed with vulvovaginal candidiasis. the data were collected using a form inquiring demographic characteristics, infection history, and infection features. the species were differentiated using germ tube test, chromagar test, and chlamydospore test. data analysis was performed through descriptive statistics using spss 16. results: according the results of the study, the prevalence of candida vaginitis was found to be 9.3%. chlamydospore was detected on 54.3% of the corn meal agar media. besides, in chromagar test, 41.9% of the samples turned into green representing c. albicans. on the other hand, in germ tube test, 70.5% of the samples were c. albicans, while 29.5% of them were c. non-albicans. overall, the frequency of c. albicans, c. glabrata, c. tropicalis, and c. krusei were 66.6%, 219%, 8.6%, and 2.9%, respectively. conclusion: c. albicans was the most common species leading to the vulvovaginitis in patients with vcc while other species were at the secondary importance stages. due to inaccurate diagnosis of the disease based on the clinical symptoms, fungal culture is recommended as a standard diagnostic method.