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Increased Diversity of Fungal Flora in the Vagina of Patients with Recurrent Vaginal Candidiasis and Allergic Rhinitis

  • Fungal Microbiology
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Abstract

Recurrent vaginal candidiasis (RVC) is considered to be a hypersensitivity disorder that is associated with allergic rhinitis (AR) in immune deficiencies; however, whether or not the composition of the vaginal fungal flora in patients with AR and RVC is altered and if such alterations in patients with AR are associated with the development of RVC remain unclear. In the present study, a cultivation-independent method with the 18S rRNA gene clone library was used to analyze the diversity and composition of the vaginal fungal flora in patients with AR and RVC and to explore the association. Three fungal phyla (Ascomycotae, 22 out of 28; Basidiomycetes, 5 out of 28; and Oomycetes, 1 out of 28) were identified from groups of healthy volunteers, patients with AR, patients with RVC, and patients with RVC complicated by AR, including 28 phylotypes of fungal flora (10, 15, 17, and 21 phylotypes for each group, respectively). The predominant genera of fungi identified in the vagina included Candida, uncultured fungi, and Dothideomycetes. An increased proportion of Candida albicans accompanied with decreased proportions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and uncultured fungi was observed in patients with AR or RVC (P < 0.05). Candida glabrata, Eladia saccula, Trichosporon jirovecii, and Phytophthora spp. occurred simultaneously in the three patient groups. The composition of the fungal communities in the four groups was statistically different (P < 0.001). The vaginal fungal diversity in patients with AR or RVC was significantly higher compared with healthy volunteers (P < 0.05). The data revealed an increased diversity and varied composition of the vaginal fungal flora in patients with AR and RVC and indicated that disturbed vaginal fungal flora in patients with AR might be correlated with disease progression in patients with RVC.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by grants from the Health Bureau of Zhejiang Province (nos. 2010KYA043 and Y201024145) and the Zhejiang Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (no. 2010B500910).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Laboratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, China

    Renyong Guo, Jinmei Yao & Yu Chen

  2. Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310012, China

    Nengneng Zheng

  3. State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Disease, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China

    Haifeng Lu

  4. Department of Otolaryngology, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310012, China

    Hongfang Yin

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  1. Renyong Guo
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  2. Nengneng Zheng
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  4. Hongfang Yin
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  5. Jinmei Yao
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  6. Yu Chen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yu Chen.

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Renyong Guo and Nengneng Zheng contributed equally to this work.

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Guo, R., Zheng, N., Lu, H. et al. Increased Diversity of Fungal Flora in the Vagina of Patients with Recurrent Vaginal Candidiasis and Allergic Rhinitis. Microb Ecol 64, 918–927 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-012-0084-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-012-0084-0

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