Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1977 Mar;5(3):268–272. doi: 10.1128/jcm.5.3.268-272.1977

Comparisons between direct microscopic and cultural methods for recognition of Corynebacterium vaginale in women with vaginitis.

R F Smith, H A Rodgers, P A Hines, R M Ray
PMCID: PMC274580  PMID: 300740

Abstract

The frequency with which clue cells could be detected in Gram-stained vaginal smears and/or cervical Papanicolaou (Pap) smears was compared with the frequency of Corynebacterium vaginale (Haemophilus vaginalis) isolation in a group of 236 female patients, of whom 221 had vaginitis. Vaginal clue cells were found most often in women from whom C. vaginale was isolated (P = 0.00006) whereas, conversely, clue cells in cervical Pap smears were reported more frequently in women with negative cultures for this organism (P = 0.006). C. vaginale isolations were made more frequently from women with both vaginal and cervical clue cells reported (P = 0.000088). However, the combined false positive-false negative vaginal clue cell rate in the patients studied was 36.5%. Neither the detection of vaginal clue cells nor the isolation of C. vaginale was significantly affected by whether or not patients had trichomoniasis (P = 0.25). Trichomonas vaginalis detection in cervical Pap smears and vaginal isolation were related (P = 0.00005), whereas the same relationship was not significant for fungi (P = greater than 0.05).

Full text

PDF
268

Selected References

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

  1. Akerlund M., Mårdh P. A. Isolation and identification of Corynebacterium vaginale (Haemophilus vaginalis) in women with infections of the lower genital tract. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1974;53(1):85–90. doi: 10.3109/00016347409156894. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Banner E. A. Vaginitis. Med Clin North Am. 1974 Jul;58(4):759–768. doi: 10.1016/s0025-7125(16)32119-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brashear M. D., Wong J., Hines P., Smith R. F. Comparative isolation of vaginal yeasts on selective and nonselective media. J Clin Microbiol. 1976 Jun;3(6):640–642. doi: 10.1128/jcm.3.6.640-642.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DUNKELBERG W. E., Jr DIAGNOSIS OF HEMOPHILUS VAGINALIS VAGINITIS BY GRAM-STAINED SMEARS. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1965 Apr 1;91:998–1000. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(65)90569-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dunkelberg W. E., Jr, Skaggs R., Kellogg D. S., Jr, Domescik G. K. Relative incidence of Corynebacterium vaginale (Haemophilus vaginalis), Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas spp. among women attending a venereal disease clinic. Br J Vener Dis. 1970 Jun;46(3):187–190. doi: 10.1136/sti.46.3.187. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dunkelberg W. E., Jr, Skaggs R., Kellogg D. S., Jr Method for isolation and identification of Corynebacterium vaginale (Haemophilus vaginalis). Appl Microbiol. 1970 Jan;19(1):47–52. doi: 10.1128/am.19.1.47-52.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. GARDNER H. L., DUKES C. D. CLINICAL AND LABORATORY EFFECTS OF METRONIDAZOLE. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1964 Aug 15;89:990–995. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(64)90288-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Malone B. H., Schreiber M., Schneider N. J., Holdeman L. V. Obligately anaerobic strains of Corynebacterium vaginale (Haemophilus vaginalis). J Clin Microbiol. 1975 Sep;2(3):272–275. doi: 10.1128/jcm.2.3.272-275.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Ohm M. J., Galask R. P. Bacterial flora of the cervix from 100 prehysterectomy patients. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1975 Jul 15;122(6):683–687. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(75)90571-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Rein M. F., Chapel T. A. Trichomoniasis, candidiasis, and the minor venereal diseases. Clin Obstet Gynecol. 1975 Mar;18(1):73–88. doi: 10.1097/00003081-197503000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Smith R. F. New medium for isolation of Corynebacterium vaginale from genital specimens. Health Lab Sci. 1975 Jul;12(3):219–224. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Thin R. N., Atia W., Parker J. D., Nicol C. S., Canti G. Value of Papanicolaou-stained smears in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis, candidiasis, and cervical herpes simplex virus infection in women. Br J Vener Dis. 1975 Apr;51(2):116–118. doi: 10.1136/sti.51.2.116. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES