The Valuable Microbiological Role of Vaginal and Cervical Swabs in The Management of Persistent and Recurrent Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs)

Abstract

Background: Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) are a frequent medical condition that can lead to serious health issues such as infertility and newborn infections if it is not treated promptly.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the risk factors, demography, causative pathogens, and prevalence of RTI in women who are reproductively aged.

Subjects and methods: A prospective study was conducted among women who attended Maternal-Child Health Clinics. Vaginal/cervical  swabs were examined, and relevant data were retrieved and then statistically analyzed. 295 women were included in the study with a  median age of 25.2 years.

Results: At the time of the study, 84% of the patients were married. Overall, 42% of cases had Trichomonas vaginalis, 23% had Neisseria gonorrhea, 18% had bacterial vaginosis, 9% had Candida infection, and 22% of cases with symptoms had  normal flora growth. Although the true frequency of mixed vaginal infections may be higher, only 15.6% of cases were reported to have  them. Married women frequently had RTIs, and many of them also used IUDs.

Conclusion: In Middle Eastern nations, RTIs are highly  prevalent among married women. Neisseria gonorrhea and Trichomonas vaginalis were the most frequently found bacteria in the  current study. It has been shown that there was a poor correlation between the symptoms and certain types of laboratory-confirmed  infections. This underlines the significance of laboratory testing as a key diagnostic tool for accurate RTI diagnosis and highlights the  difficulty of diagnosing RTIs based solely on clinical judgment.