Introduction:Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is one of the most prevalent infections in women of reproductive age. Amsel’s criteria and Nugent scoring system are among the most commonly used diagnostic methods. Although Nugent scoring system is considered the gold standard for diagnosing BV, it is time consuming and costly, and its interpretation needs lab equipment and experts. Hence, most physicians are inclined to use simpler clinical criteria that are yet accurate instead. The present study aimed to determine the diagnostic value of Amsel’s criteria in diagnosing BV.Material and Methods:This present study was conducted to validate diagnostic tests of BV in 120 married women in 2013. Amsel’s criteria and Nugent scoring system were used to diagnose BV. Nugent scoring system was considered the gold standard and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of Amsel’s criteria were compared with those of Nugent scoring system.Results:Kappa coefficient was used to assess the diagnostic value of Nugent scoring system and Amsel’s criteria. Kappa coefficient was found 0.8, which confirms the reliability of both diagnostic methods. McNemar test did not reveal a significant difference between Nugent scoring system and Amsel’s criteria in terms of diagnosing BV. As compared to Nugent scoring system, Asmel’s criteria enjoy sensitivity of 0.91, specificity of 0.91, positive predictive value of 0.86, negative predictive value of 0.94, and accuracy of 0.91.Conclusion:If lab equipment is not available for diagnosing BV, Amsel’s criteria can be as good as Nugent scoring system at diagnosing this infection.

Background:Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is one of the most common gynecological infections during reproductive age. Although metronidazole is one of the most effective medications recommended as the first-line treatment, it has various side effects. Because of the side effects and contraindications of some chemical medicines, using herbs has been investigated in treating BV.Objectives:The aim of this study was to compare the effect of garlic tablet (Garsin) and oral metronidazole in clinical treatment of the BV in women referred to Resalat Health Center, affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, in 2013.Patients and Methods:This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 120 married women aged 18 to 44 years who were diagnosed with BV by Amsel’s clinical criteria and Gram staining. Enrolled women were randomly allocated to two groups of 60 patients and were treated with either garlic tablet or oral metronidazole for seven days. Amsel’s criteria and Gram stain were assessed seven to ten days after beginning the treatment period and side effects were registered.Results:Amsel’s criteria were significantly decreased after treatment with garlic or metronidazole (70% and 48.3%, respectively; P < 0.001). Therapeutic effects of garlic on BV were similar to that of metronidazole (63.3% and 48.3%, respectively; P = 0.141). There were significant differences between the two treatment groups in terms of side effects; metronidazole was associated with more complications (P = 0.032).Conclusions:This study reveals that garlic could be a suitable alternative for metronidazole in treatment of BV in those interested in herbal medicines or those affected by side effects of metronidazole.