Features of vaginal bacteria community in women with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis

Objective To investigate the features of vaginal bacteria community in women with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) and its etiological risk in vaginal health. Methods Totally 237 reproductive-aged women with RVVC in an acute episode were studied. Whereas 230 healthy reproductive-aged women were enrolled as the control. The vaginal pH was evaluated, while vaginal secretions were sampled for Gram's staining and oilmicroscopy. By Nugent score system, the composition of vaginal communities was determined, and other micro-ecological features were approached. To describe other features of vaginal microbiota, the community's bacteria density, species diversity and predominant species were evaluated at 1 000 × magnification. Results The vaginal pH (4.53 ± 0.30) and Nugent score (4.31 ± 0.73) in RVVC group were significantly increased compared with vaginal pH (4.11 ± 0.30) and Nugent score (1.32 ± 1.29) in control group (P Conclusion The significant changes in vaginal bacterial community were observed in RVVC women. Such variations in community might relate to vaginal biological barrier compromising and increase the risk to the recurrence of VVC. It is still controversial whether probiotics can prevent recurrences of VVC, and more randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with a larger sample size should be carried out, so as to clarify its effects for the prophylaxis of RVVC.