Recurrent vaginal candidiasis. Importance of an intestinal reservoir
M. R. Miles, L. Olsen and A. Rogers
To test the hypothesis that all cases of vaginal candidiasis are associated
with a "reservoir" of this organism in the bowel, paired specimens of feces
and vaginal material were cultured for Candida albicans simultaneously.
Ninety-eight young women who complained of recurrent vaginitis were
selected in sequence. The results showed that if C albicans was cultured
from the vagina, it was always found in the stool. Conversely, if it was
not isolated from the stool, it was never found in the vagina. These data
are presented as an explanation for the recurrent nature of Candida
vaginitis, and thus a cure of vaginitis would not be possible without prior
eradication of C albicans from the gut. The gut-reservoir concept may well
apply to other forms of candidiasis.
