Microscopic features of vaginal candidiasis and their relation to symptomatology.

OBJECTIVES To document the microscopic features of vaginal candidiasis and to examine the relation between yeast morphology and patient symptomatology. METHOD The study population comprised women undergoing screening for genital infection at a department of genitourinary medicine. RESULTS/CONCLUSION Data were collected on 267 women of whom 234 were found to have vaginal candidiasis by vaginal culture. The remaining 33 patients had microscopic features of candidiasis (spores and/or hyphae) but were culture negative. Of the culture positive women, microscopy was positive in 182 (78%). "Spores only" were identified in 65 (28%), "hyphae only" in 16 (7%), and both "spores and hyphae" in 101 (43%). 68% of culture positive women were symptomatic, the commonest symptoms being irritation alone (27%) or irritation plus vaginal discharge (25%). No association was found between yeast morphology (spores, budding/non-budding; hyphae, branching/non-branching) as identified on microscopy of vaginal secretions and symptomatology.