[The etiology of infectious cervicitis in women]

Infectious cervicitis is a common disease in women of reproductive age. A prospective study was carried out including 70 women with clinical manifestations of cervicitis during gynecological and colposcopic examination. In 19 women (27%), Chlamydia trachomatis was demonstrated by direct immunofluorescence in cervical smears. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was isolated in 2 women and 1 had a concomitant infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis. Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum were isolated in 7 patients and 4 had cytological smears consistent with Human Papilloma Virus infection. In the rest 47 patients no etiological agent was found. The results of the present study indicate that the most common etiological cause for infectious cervicitis can be Chlamydia trachomatis and an examination for this organism should me mandatory in women with infectious cervicitis for guiding the correct diagnosis and treatment.