Sequential vaginal cultures from normal young women

Vaginal specimens were collected two to three times a week for 1 month from seven nurses. A total of 65 specimens were collected. Each sample consisted of three swabs and a saline wash. Semiquantitation of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria, mycoplasma and ureaplasma, and yeast was performed. Numerous species were recovered in each specimen; at least 37 species were isolated. Lactobacilli, Corynebacterium, Ureaplasma, Mycoplasma, Bacteroides melaninogenicus, and Candida albicans, when present, tended to remain throughout the entire month. Other organisms were present on a more sporadic basis. The number of organisms varied greatly during the sampling for each individual, whereas the types of organisms isolated from a particular subject remained relatively constant.