Symptoms associated with vaginal colonization with yeast

We correlated vulvovaginal symptoms with vaginal cultures for yeast in healthy female college students. Yeasts were isolated from 42 (29.2%) of 144 women. Only four (22%) of 18 women with positive fungal cultures had fungal elements visualized microscopically in vaginal material suspended in 10% potassium hydroxide (potassium hydroxide wet preparations). Symptoms, mainly vulvovaginal itching and irritation, were reported by 28 (67%) of 42 women whose cultures contained yeast and by 22 (22%) of 102 women who were not colonized by yeast (p less than 0.01). We conclude that vaginal colonization by yeasts is commonly associated with vulvovaginal symptoms, often in the absence of positive potassium hydroxide wet preparation results. These data suggest that vaginal specimens from women who have vulvovaginal symptoms and negative potassium hydroxide wet preparation results should be cultured for fungi before the diagnosis of fungal vulvovaginitis is excluded.