Vaginal parasitosis. An unusual finding in routine cervical smears

Between January 1971 and December 1984, a total of 57,664 Papanicolaou-stained smears from 10,968 women attending the welfare clinics of the Institute for Research in Reproduction were screened for cancer, dysplasia and other abnormalities. Among these, ova of Enterobius vermicularis were observed in six cases and an ovum of Ascaris lumbricoides was present in one case. Microfilariae were noted in three cases. Either a clean background or an inflammatory pattern was noted in the smears in these cases. These findings show that cytology is useful in the diagnosis of cervical parasitic infections in asymptomatic women.