[Significance of vaginal and cervix flora with reference to ascending infections]

The role of the vaginal and cervical flora and the extent of alterations in the flora in ascending infections of the female genital tract were evaluated in a microbiological study of 86 patients with a clinical diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). The patients were classified as having acute salpingitis (n = 15), an acute inflammatory adnexal tumour (n = 21), subacute salpingitis (n = 38), or chronic salpingitis (n = 12). 100 symptom-free women formed a control group. The spectrum of microorganisms found in the two groups was similar. However, there were significant differences in the distribution of pathogenic and apathogenic organisms. Negative cultures and cultures with exclusively apathogenic organisms were found in 16% of the patients with PID and 43% of the healthy women. Growth of exclusively apathogenic aerobic organisms was seen in 3.5% of the patients with PID and 18% of the controls. Exclusively apathogenic anaerobic organisms were found in 7% of the patients with PID and 32% of the controls. Mycoplasmas were significantly more common in the PID group than in the controls (31% v. 10%). The rates of Chlamydia trachomatis did not differ significantly (13% v. 10%). Patients with pathogenic organisms had a 3.88 (odds ratio) or 2.27 (col-2 risk) higher risk of PID than those with negative cultures or exclusively apathogenic organisms. There were no significant associations between the microbiologic results and individual parameters of inflammation. The microbiologic results did not reflect the course or severity of the disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)