A total of 106 women with vaginitis in Nicaragua were studied.
The positive rate for the identification of
Candida
species
was 41% (44 positive cultures out of 106 women with vaginitis). The sensitivity
of microscopic examination of wet mount with the potassium hydroxide (KOH) was
61% and 70% with Gram's stain when using the culture of vaginal fluid as gold
standard for diagnosis of candidiasis. Among the 44 positives cultures, isolated
species of yeast from vaginal swabs were
Candida (59%),
C. tropicalis
(23%),
C. glabrata (14%) and
C. krusei (4%). This study reports
the first characterization of 26
Candida stocks from Nicaragua by the random
amplified polymorphic DNA method. The genetic analysis in this small
Candida
population showed the existence of linkage disequilibrium, which is consistent
with the hypothesis that
Candida undergoes a clonal propagation.