Abstract
Vaginitis is one of the most common reasons for women to seek medical care. Eliciting a detailed history and performing a comprehensive physical exam are crucial to make an accurate diagnosis. Bacterial vaginosis, vulvovaginal candidiasis, and trichomoniasis are the most common infectious etiologies for vaginitis. Non-infectious etiologies are related to foreign bodies or atrophic changes and are less common in adolescents. Rapid point-of-care tests are available to aid in the diagnosis of vaginitis which includes microscopic examination of vaginal secretions and testing of vaginal pH. Cervicitis can also be infectious and non-infectious in etiology. Infectious etiologies include sexually transmitted infections such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Mycoplasma genitalium. These infections generally respond well to treatment though misdiagnosis and, rarely, treatment resistance can occur.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Owen M, Clenney T. Management of vaginitis. Am Fam Physician. 2004;70(11):2125–32.
McCormack W, Augenbraun M. Vulvovaginitis and cervicitis. In: Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s principles and practice of infectious diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2010. p. 1358–71.
Vaginitis Self-Study. Centers for Disease Control. Origination date: July 16, 2014.
Scott SM. Vaginitis. In: Bajaj L, Hambridge S, Nyquist A, Kerby G. Berman’s pediatric decision making. 5th Ed. Elsevier Health Science; Philadelphia, PA, 2011.
Hainer B, Gibson M. Vaginitis: diagnosis and treatment. Am Fam Physician. 2011;83(7):807–15.
Singh R, Zenilman JM, Brown KM, Madden T, Gaydos C, Ghanem KG. The role of physical examination in common causes of vaginitis: a prospective study. Sex Transm Infect. 2013;89(3):185–90.
Brotman RM. Vaginal microbiome and sexually transmitted infections: an epidemiologic perspective. J Clin Investig. 2011;121(12):4610–7.
Moghissi K, Syner F. Cyclic changes in the amount and sialic acid of cervical mucus. Int J Fertil. 1976;21:246–50.
Casey P, Long M, Marnach M. Abnormal cervical appearance: what to do, when to worry? Mayo Clin Proc. 2011;86(2):147–51.
Money D. The laboratory diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis. Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. 2005;16(2):77–9.
Marrazzo J. Interpreting the epidemiology and natural history of bacterial vaginosis: are we still confused? Anaerobe. 2011;17:186–90.
Kenyon C, Colebunders R, Crucitti T. The global epidemiology of bacterial vaginosis: a systematic review. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2013;209:505–23.
Bradshaw C, Sobel J. Current treatment for bacterial vaginosis – limitations and the need for innovation. J Infect Dis. 2016;214(Supp 1):S14–20.
Fethers K, Fairley C, Hocking J, Gurrin L, Bradshaw C. Sexual risk factors and bacterial vaginosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;47:1426–35.
Taha T, Hoover D, Dallabatta G, Kumwenda N, Mtimavalye L, Yang L, Liomba G, Broadhead R, Chiphangwi J, Miotti P. Bacterial vaginosis and the disturbance of vaginal flora: association with increased acquisition of HIV. AIDS. 1998;12:1699–706.
Amsel R, Totten P, Spiegel C, Chen K, Eschenbach D, Holmes K. Nonspecific vaginitis. Diagnostic criteria and microbial and epidemiologic associations. Am J Med. 1983;74(1):14–22.
Nugent R, Krohn M, Hillier S. Reliability of diagnosing bacterial vaginosis is improved by a standardized method of gram stain interpretation. J Clin Microbiol. 1991;29(2):297–301.
CDC sexually transmitted disease guidelines 2015. Found at: http://www.cdc.gov/std/tg2015/urethritis-and-cervicitis.htm.
Hauth JC, Goldenberg RL, Andrews WW, et al. Reduced incidence of preterm delivery with metronidazole and erythromycin in women with bacterial vaginosis. N Engl J Med. 1995;333:1732–6. 135.
Morales WJ, Schorr S, Albritton J. Effect of metronidazole in patients with preterm birth in preceding pregnancy and bacterial vaginosis: a placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1994;171:345–9. 136.
Leitcich H, Brunbauer M, Bodner-Adler B, et al. Antibiotic treatment of bacterial vaginosis in pregnancy: a metaanalysis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2003;18:752–8.
Bacterial vaginosis in pregnancy to prevent preterm delivery: screening. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Release date: February 2008. Found at: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/bacterial-vaginosis-in-pregnancy-to-prevent-preterm-delivery-screening.
Marrazzo J. Vulvovaginal candidiasis. Br Med J. 2002;325:586–7.
Achkar J, Fries B. Candida infections of the genitourinary tract. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2010;23(2):253–73.
Carr P, Felsenstein D, Friedman R. Evaluation and management of vaginitis. J Gen Intern Med. 1998;13:335–46.
Swygard H, Sena A, Hobbs M, Cohen M. Trichomoniasis: clinical manifestations, diagnosis and management. Sex Transm Infect. 2004;80:91–5.
Schwebke JR, Burgess D. Trichomoniasis. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2004;17(4):794–803.
Stricker T, Navratil F, Sennhauser FH. Vaginal foreign bodies. J Pediatr Child Health. 2004;40:205–7.
Fischer G, Bradford J. Persistent vaginitis. Br Med J. 2011;343:1–7.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Patel, A.S., Sheth, A.N. (2020). Vaginitis and Cervicitis. In: Hussen, S. (eds) Sexually Transmitted Infections in Adolescence and Young Adulthood. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20491-4_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20491-4_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-20490-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-20491-4
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)