[The value of Gardnerella-vaginalis-culture in bacterial-vaginitis- score-confirmed bacterial vaginosis]

The relative value of a semiquantitative Gardnerella vaginalis culture for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV) was studied in 113 women attending a STD clinic. The standard diagnosis of BV was based on the BV score, which is a 10-point grading system to evaluate gram-stained vaginal samples objectively and reproducibly. The sensitivity of G. vaginalis culture for the diagnosis of BV was 28%, while the specificity was 89%. The positive and the negative predictive values were 50% and 76% for G. vaginalis culture in our population. Our data suggest that G. vaginalis culture cannot be recommended for the routine diagnosis of BV. However, G. vaginalis culture will detect asymptomatic women with high vaginal colonization with G. vaginalis. Further studies are needed to find whether these women are at risk of developing BV.