Childhood respiratory infection and adult chronic bronchitis in England and Wales

that of Dr Toon and colleagues, show a much higher isolation rate of organisms (table). We found no difference in contraceptive habit or smoking habit between these groups. We agree that many of these isolates can be regarded as normal lower genital tract commensals, but we regard Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, and gardnerella as pathogenic organisms. Recent data from Dundee' and Gateshead2 indicate that many women with mildly atypical findings on cervical cytology have cervical intraepithelial neoplasia requiring treatment. Nevertheless, colposcopic facilities are not infinite and it should be remembered that some women with inflammatory smears will have a microbiological infection, which may respond to simple antimicrobial therapy without the need for colposcopic examination. S A WALKINSHAW Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Princess Mary Maternity Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3BD A D G ROBERTS Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester JAMESW CORDINER Western Infirmary, Glasgow