A study of field-based methods for diagnosing reproductive tract infections in rural Yunnan Province, China

Reproductive tract infections are a significant cause of poor health among rural Chinese women. This study assesses the accuracy of simple, field-based methods of diagnosing five reproductive tract infections (trichomonas, candida, bacterial vaginosis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) in two rural Chinese counties, using "gold standard" laboratory diagnosis as the reference. Self-reported symptoms and clinical examination proved inadequate for making accurate diagnoses, because many infected women show no symptoms or are infected with two or more conditions. The use of simple tests such as KOH staining, wet mount, Gram's stain, and pH of discharge greatly improved diagnostic accuracy, especially for candida and trichomonas, the two most common infections. Promoting the use of such diagnostic approaches by rural Chinese medical and family planning health providers would reduce the prevalence and severity of these preventable and easily treated infections.