Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1988 Jun;26(6):1130–1133. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.6.1130-1133.1988

Prevalence of Gardnerella vaginalis in the urinary tract.

M H Lam 1, D F Birch 1, K F Fairley 1
PMCID: PMC266547  PMID: 3260242

Abstract

Midstream urine samples from 106 patients presenting to the Casualty Department of The Royal Melbourne Hospital with frequency or dysuria were cultured for Gardnerella vaginalis and conventional uropathogens. Urine samples collected via an open-end catheter from 70 healthy pregnant women were examined similarly. Midstream urine and other samples, including the seminal fluids and swabs of the mouths, throats, rectums, and vaginas of 33 healthy subjects, were cultured for G. vaginalis. Another 15 female patients with proven G. vaginalis bacteriuria were given a bladder washout localization test to determine the site of infection in the urinary tract. G. vaginalis in counts greater than 10(3) CFU/ml was recovered from the midstream urine of 27 of 106 patients (25%), 7 of whom also harbored conventional pathogens in counts greater than 10(4) CFU/ml. Another 11 patients with cultures negative for G. vaginalis yielded greater than 10(4) CFU of conventional pathogens per ml. G. vaginalis was cultured (greater than 10(3) CFU/ml) from catheter samples of 19 of 70 healthy pregnant women (27%), 6 of whom also harbored greater than 10(3) CFU of conventional uropathogens per ml. Two women yielded growths of conventional pathogens only. Midstream urine samples from 13 of 13 healthy males were free of G. vaginalis, whereas 5 of 20 healthy nonpregnant females yielded greater than 10(3) CFU of G. vaginalis per ml from midstream urine samples. G. vaginalis was recovered from 4 of 12 semen samples and from urethral samples from four of seven males and four of eight females. All four culture-positive females also harbored G. vaginalis in their vaginas. There was no evidence of oral or rectal carriage of G. vaginalis in 15 healthy subjects. Localization studies with 15 female patients having underlying renal disease showed that 11 patients harbored G. vaginalis in their kidneys. The result suggest that colonization or infection of the bladder and upper urinary tract by G. vaginalis is very largely a phenomenon of females, with the highest frequency in pregnant women. The prevalence of G. vaginalis in the urinary tracts of healthy females is similar to that of symptomatic subjects. However, G. vaginalis in counts greater than 10(5) CFU/ml is more likely to be associated with urinary tract symptoms. In males, this bacterial species infects the genital tract rather than the urinary tract.

Full text

PDF
1130

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Abercrombie G. F., Allen J., Maskell R. Cornyebacterium vaginale urinary-tract infection in a man. Lancet. 1978 Apr 8;1(8067):766–766. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(78)90873-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Asscher A. W. Natural history of significant bacteriuria. Proc R Soc Med. 1977 Mar;70(3):149–151. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Birch D. F., D'Apice A. J., Fairley K. F. Ureaplasma urealyticum in the upper urinary tracts of renal allograft recipients. J Infect Dis. 1981 Aug;144(2):123–127. doi: 10.1093/infdis/144.2.123. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dawson S. G., Ison C. A., Csonka G., Easmon C. S. Male carriage of Gardnerella vaginalis. Br J Vener Dis. 1982 Aug;58(4):243–245. doi: 10.1136/sti.58.4.243. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fairley K. F., Birch D. F. Unconventional bacteria in urinary tract disease: Gardnerella vaginalis. Kidney Int. 1983 Jun;23(6):862–865. doi: 10.1038/ki.1983.107. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. KINCAID-SMITH P., BULLEN M. BACTERIURIA IN PREGNANCY. Lancet. 1965 Feb 20;1(7382):395–399. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(65)90001-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kinghorn G. R., Jones B. M., Chowdhury F. H., Geary I. Balanoposthitis associated with Gardnerella vaginalis infection in men. Br J Vener Dis. 1982 Apr;58(2):127–129. doi: 10.1136/sti.58.2.127. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Komaroff A. L. Acute dysuria in women. N Engl J Med. 1984 Feb 9;310(6):368–375. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198402093100607. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Leighton P. M. Gardnerella vaginalis: laboratory isolation and clinical significance. Can J Public Health. 1982 Sep-Oct;73(5):335–340. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lewis J. F., O'Brien S. M., Ural U. M., Burke T. Corynebacterium vaginale vaginitis in pregnant women. Am J Clin Pathol. 1971 Nov;56(5):580–583. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/56.5.580. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Loulergue J., Laudat P., Huten N., Raoult A., Boutault L. Upper urinary tract infection with Gardnerella vaginalis in a woman. Eur J Clin Microbiol. 1984 Jun;3(3):270–270. doi: 10.1007/BF02014901. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McDonald M. I., Lam M. H., Birch D. F., D'Arcy A. F., Fairley K. F., Pavillard E. R. Ureaplasma urealyticum in patients with acute symptoms of urinary tract infection. J Urol. 1982 Sep;128(3):517–519. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)53025-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. McDowall D. R., Buchanan J. D., Fairley K. F., Gilbert G. L. Anaerobic and other fastidious microorganisms in asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnant women. J Infect Dis. 1981 Aug;144(2):114–122. doi: 10.1093/infdis/144.2.114. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. McFadyen I. R., Eykyn S. J. Suprapubic aspiration of urine in pregnancy. Lancet. 1968 May 25;1(7552):1112–1114. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(68)90185-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Murphy B. F., Fairley K. F., Birch D. F., Marshall A. C., Durman O. B. Culture of mid catheter urine collected via an open-ended catheter: a reliable guide to bladder bacteriuria. J Urol. 1984 Jan;131(1):19–21. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)50175-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Petit P. L., Mouton R. P. Gardnerella vaginalis in urinary tract infections of immunocompromised patients. Eur J Clin Microbiol. 1985 Jun;4(3):357–357. doi: 10.1007/BF02013677. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Savige J. A., Birch D. F., Fairley K. F. Comparison of mid catheter collection and suprapubic aspiration of urine for diagnosing bacteriuria due to fastidious micro-organisms. J Urol. 1983 Jan;129(1):62–63. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)51919-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Savige J. A., Gilbert G. L., Fairley K. F., McDowall D. R. Bacteriuria due to Ureaplasma urealyticum and Gardnerella vaginalis in women with preeclampsia. J Infect Dis. 1983 Sep;148(3):605–605. doi: 10.1093/infdis/148.3.605. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Totten P. A., Amsel R., Hale J., Piot P., Holmes K. K. Selective differential human blood bilayer media for isolation of Gardnerella (Haemophilus) vaginalis. J Clin Microbiol. 1982 Jan;15(1):141–147. doi: 10.1128/jcm.15.1.141-147.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wilson J. A., Barratt A. J. An unusual case of Gardnerella vaginalis septicaemia. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1986 Aug 2;293(6542):309–309. doi: 10.1136/bmj.293.6542.309. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES