VaginalCandida parapsilosis: Pathogen or Bystander?

[摘要] Objective: Candida parapsilosisis an infrequent isolate on vaginal cultures; its role as a vaginal pathogen remains unstudied. This retrospective study of women with positive culture forC. parapsilosissought to characterize the significance of this finding and its response to antifungal therapy.Methods:From February 2001 to August 2002, we identified all individuals with positive fungal isolates among a population of women with chronic vulvovaginal symptoms. Charts of women withC. parapsilosiscultures were reviewed with regard to patient demographics, clinical presentation and therapeutic response. Mycological cure, defined as a negative fungal culture at the next office visit, and clinical cure, i.e. symptom resolution, were determined for each subject.Results:A total of 582 women had positive vaginal cultures for 635 isolates, of which 54 (8.5%) wereC. parapsilosis. The charts of 51 subjects withC. parapsilosiswere available for review and follow-up cultures and clinical information were available for 39 (76.5%). Microscopy was positive in 9 (17.6%). Antifungal treatment resulted in mycological cure in 17/19patients with fluconazole, 7/7 with butoconazole, 6/6 with boric acid, 1/1 with miconazole and occurred spontaneously in 6/ 7: 24/37 (64.9%) patients with a mycological cure experienced clinical cure.Conclusions:AlthoughC. parapsilosisis often a cause of vaginal symptoms, it seems to respond to a variety of antifungal agents and may even be a transient vaginal colonizer.

[学科分类] 妇产科学