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The first 20% of the full text of this section appears below.

Section 3. Summaries of Infectious Diseases

Bacterial Vaginosis

Clinical Manifestations
Etiology
Epidemiology
Diagnostic Tests
Treatment
Isolation of the Hospitalized Patient
Control Measures

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CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

Bacterial vaginosis (BV), a syndrome diagnosed primarily in sexually active adolescent and adult females, is characterized by changes in vaginal flora. Signs include a thin white or grey, homogenous, adherent vaginal discharge with a fishy odor. BV can be asymptomatic in up to 84% of cases; the remainder of cases have vaginal discharge that uncommonly is associated with abdominal pain, significant pruritus, or dysuria. However, BV has been associated with chorioamnionitis, preterm delivery, and postpartum endometritis.

Vaginitis and vulvitis in prepubertal girls usually have a nonspecific cause and rarely are manifestations of BV. In prepubertal girls, other predisposing causes of vaginal discharge include foreign bodies or infections attributable to group A streptococci, herpes simplex virus, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Candida species, or enteric bacteria, including Shigella species.


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ETIOLOGY

The microbiologic cause of BV has not been delineated clearly. Typical microbiologic findings of specimens obtained from the vagina include an increase in concentrations of Gardnerella vaginalis, Mycoplasma species, and Ureaplasma species, anaerobic bacteria (eg, Prevotella species and Mobiluncus species), and a marked decrease in the . . . [Go to Full Text]


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