Microorganisms in Vaginal Fluid from Women in Prolonged Pregnancy

Abstract

In order to compare the vaginal microflora of women in prolonged pregnancy with that of women who delivered at term, samples for quantitative aerobic and anaerobic microbiological culture were collected from 100 women at 42 weeks of gestation and from 60 women at term. The occurrence of lactobacilli-dominated flora was similar in women at term and women with prolonged pregnancy. However, non-hydrogen-peroxide-producing lactobacilli (p < 0.01) were significantly more common and Peptostreptococci species (p < 0.05) significantly less common in postterm women as compared with term controls. In postterm women, Candida albicans was more common (p < 0.001) in microfloras dominated by non-hydrogen-peroxide-producing lactobacilli than in floras dominated by hydrogen-peroxide-producing lactobacilli. The ecosystem of the vagina in asymptomatic postterm women was disrupted concerning the composition of lactobacilli as compared with term controls.

Risk Factors for Mammary Candidosis Among Lactating Women

“…Increased risk of maternal colonization with longer duration of gestation may be due to the disruption of the vaginal ecosystem in extended pregnancy, which leads to an increase in non-hydrogen-peroxide-producing lactobacilli (Goffeng et al, 1997). Women with increased nonhydrogen-peroxide-producing lactobacilli are more likely to have bacterial vaginosis and symptomatic vaginal candidiasis (Hillier, Krohn, Klebanoff, & Eschenback, 1992).…”

“…We defined mammary candidosis as a positive culture plus at least one of the following five symptoms: burning nipples, painful breasts, stabbing pain throughout the breast, shiny skin on the nipple/areola area, or flaky skin on the nipple/areola area. These symptoms were chosen because they are the most commonly reported symptoms attributed to breast yeast infections in the literature (Geiger et al, 1995;Goffeng, Holst, Nilsson, Milsom, & Andersch, 1997;MacDonald, 1995). Of the 23 women in the SG who cultured positive at 2 weeks postpartum, 20 (87%) developed symptoms and were considered clinically positive for mammary candidosis between 2 and 9 weeks postpartum, whereas only 16% (12/77) of those who cultured negative had at least one of the five symptoms listed above (χ 2 = 41.5, p < .0001).…”

Probiotics for prevention of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a review

“…In a study of 7918 pregnant women, Hillier et al found that VVC was associated either with normal vaginal microbiota (dominated by lactobacilli) or with intermediate flora (with decreased lactobacilli). 12 Some other studies suggested that pregnant 13,14 or post-term 15 women whose vaginas were colonized by H 2 O 2 -producing lactobacilli were less likely to have symptomatic VVC than those colonized with H 2 O 2 -nonproducing vaginal lactobacilli. However, Hawes et al 16 suggested that H 2 O 2 -producing lactobacilli do not protect against VVC.…”

Factors Influencing Vaginal Fetal Fibronectin Concentrations during Pregnancy

“…All women were consecutively enrolled from prior studies [4,[21][22][23]. In total, 312 samples for fetal fibronectin measurement and microbiological culture were obtained.…”