[Epidemiological factors and vaginal flora changes in vaginal bacteriosis (bacterial vaginosis)].

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to know the modifications of the vaginal bacterial flora that occurs in bacterial vaginosis and to know the involvement of these microorganisms and the influence of several epidemiologic factors in the etiology of this disease.

METHODS

We studied, by using semiquantitative cultures and GLC, vaginal washings from 50 healthy women and 50 women with bacterial vaginosis.

RESULTS

The most remarkable results were the high sensitivity of Amsel's criteria and their good correlation with GLC. Women with bacterial vaginosis showed a great increase of CFUs/ml of Gardnerella vaginalis, Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and several species of anaerobic bacteria, and an important decrease of the amounts of aerobic lactobacilli. The main epidemiologic factor among those that were studied was the use of IUDs.

CONCLUSIONS

The appearance of bacterial vaginosis is associated with the increase of the amounts of G. vaginalis, Bacteroides or related genera (Prevotella, Porphyromonas), and probably M. hominis and U. urealyticum, also being associated to a decrease of the amounts of aerobic lactobacilli. These facts are probably related with alteration in the ecologic relationship lactobacilli/G. vaginalis/anaerobic bacteria.