Prevalence of Candida spp. and age-related disparities amongst women presenting with vaginitis at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) Clinic in a Tertiary hospital in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Vaginitis, an infection of the lower genital tract in women, is known to be triggered by the overgrowth of the vagina's naturally occurring microorganisms. OBJECTIVE: This study looked at the prevalence of Candida spp. and age-related disparities amongst women presenting with vaginitis at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) clinic in a tertiary hospital in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. METHODS: One hundred high vaginal swabs were collected from pregnant and non-pregnant women and examined microscopically and microbiologically. RESULTS: Age-group 20–29 years had the highest incidence of candidal vaginitis. There was a higher occurrence of yeast cells in pregnant than in non-pregnant participants while the non-pregnant women had a greater level of bacterial cells. Forty (40) of the samples contained yeasts of Candida species representing a 40% prevalence. Three species of Candida were identified with C. albicans dominating. Of the 40 samples positive for Candida spp., 30 (75.0%) were confirmed to be C. albicans. The remaining isolates were C. tropicalis (15.0%) and C. parapsilosis (10.0%). CONCLUSION: The findings in this study would play a role in the future management of Candida-induced vaginitis.