Isolation of Gardnerella vaginalis from routine genito-urinary tract specimens

Routine screening of 2374 high vaginal swabs yielded 132 cultures (5.6 per cent) which were positive for Gardnerella vaginalis. Thirty-four of the strains were isolated together with Candida albicans and 46 with Trichomonas vaginalis. One hundred and twenty (90.9 per cent) of the isolates were from females between the ages of 16 and 40 years. One hundred and nineteen (90 per cent) patients sought medical advice because of a history of discharge (88) or inflammation (31). The other 13 (10 per cent) had some other complaint or underlying disease. All 132 strains hydrolysed hippurate and fermented starch. Ninety-three (70.5 per cent) were isolated from swabs without clue cells. Seventy-seven were from nonpurulent samples; the remainder were from samples with varying numbers of pus cells. All but two strains appeared sensitive to metronidazole when tested with discs containing 50 micrograms, but none when discs contained 5 micrograms of the drug. During the study C. albicans was isolated from 571 swabs (24 per cent) and T. vaginalis was found in 112 (4.7 per cent); in 19 (0.8 per cent) swabs both were detected. Five of 71 (7 per cent) specimens of uncentrifuged urine with more than 100 pus cells/microliter and two of 30 (6.6 per cent) seminal fluids with moderate numbers of pus cells yielded moderate to profuse growth of G. vaginalis. The patients concerned were not receiving antibiotics and other significant organisms had not been found by conventional cultural techniques.