Isolation of Different Species of Candida in Patients with Vulvovaginal Candidiasis from Damavand, Iran

Background: One of the most common infections in women, especially during the reproductive age, is vulvovaginal candidiasis, which can cause physical and psychological distress for patients. According to different reports, Candida albicans is the main etiological agent of this infection. However, non-Candida albicans species have arisen recently. Therefore, it seems that in VVC, the pattern of Candida species, have changed. Objectives: In the current study, the researchers determined the frequency of different species of Candida in the Iranian female population. Methods: Five hundred and fifty-nine patients suspected of VVC, participated in this study. Wet swabs were used for collecting the samples. Vaginal swabs were examined microscopically and treated for fungal culture. Candida species identification was done by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-Sequencing with universal fungal primers (ITS1 and ITS4). Results: Out of 559 patients, 46 (8.2%) samples were positive for VVC. The age group of 30 to 39 years old with 20 (44.7%) patients had the highest frequency. Itching concomitant with abnormal discharge and vaginal irritation (59.6%) were the most prevalent symptoms in the patients. The most frequent identified species of Candida were Candida albicans (67.7%), Candida glabrata (25.8%), and Candida kefyr (3.2%), respectively. In addition, only one (2.1%) case showed recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC). Conclusions: The results of the present study demonstrated that in patients with VVC, Candida albicans species are more frequent than other candida species. In order to achieve appropriate treatment, clinical and laboratory findings must be considered together.