Vaginal Candidiasis among Pregnant Women in Ebonyi State, South East Nigeria.
Vaginal candidiasis is an infection of the genital tract caused by overgrowth of opportunistic Candida species in women. The prevalence of this infection among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in selected hospitals in Ebonyi State, Nigeria was investigated. A total of 816 High Vaginal Swab...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Faculty of Biosciences
2023-09-01
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| Series: | The Bioscientist |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://bioscientistjournal.com/index.php/The_Bioscientist/article/view/154 |
| Summary: | Vaginal candidiasis is an infection of the genital tract caused by overgrowth of opportunistic Candida species in women. The prevalence of this infection among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in selected hospitals in Ebonyi State, Nigeria was investigated. A total of 816 High Vaginal Swab (HVS) samples of pregnant women who consented to the study were collected between November, 2022 and January, 2023 and subjected to wet mount examination and also cultured on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA). Isolates were identified to species level using microscopic and morphological features, germ tube and biochemical tests. Results of the structured questionnaire used for demographic data were analyzed statistically. The overall prevalence of candidiasis among the pregnant women was 43.3%, with Candida albicans having the highest prevalence (84.1%), followed by Candida tropicalis (6.5%), Candida parapsilosis (5.4%) and Candida peudotropicalis (4.0%). Highest prevalence of infection, 45.4%, 54.2%, 60.9% and 58.9% were observed in age group 26 – 30 years (P=0.062), 3rd trimester (P=0.023), primigravida (P=0.018) and farmers (P=0.054) respectively. Prevalence of vaginal candidiasis among study participants was high with Candida albicans implicated as the most prevalence yeast. Early screening of pregnant women for candidiasis and proper education is very important during antenatal visits.
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| ISSN: | 2630-7103 2630-7111 |