The Prevalence of Infection and Antifungal Drug Susceptibility of Candida Vaginitis in Women Visiting Clinics in Kerman in 2013

Candidiasis Vaginitis is one of the most common reasons for infectious vaginitis. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Candida Albicans infection in women who visited the health centers of Kerman and determine their antifungal drug susceptibility. This was a cross sectional study carried out in 2013 on 703 women. Samples were transferred to dextrose agar and chrome candida agar media. Candida species-specific diagnosis was done based on the medium and germ tube. The four Clotrimazole, Nystatin, Miconazole and Aconazole drugs were used for antifungal drug susceptibility. In the univariate analysis, chi- square and Fisher’s exact test were used for qualitative variables and independent t-test and Mann – Whitney U for quantitative ones. Logistic regression was used to assess the adjusted effect of the variables. The mean age was 33.83 ± 6.14 years and the prevalence of Candida Albicans was 31.29% ± 0.05. Logistic regression revealed a significant association between the patient’s education (p<0.001), husband’s education (p=0.035), husband’s occupation (p=0.012), natural birth control and not using condoms (p<0.001), diabetes (p<0.005), existance of clinical symptoms(p=0.025), and candidiasis. Most infections were caused by the Candida Albicans fungus. Most patients were susceptible to Clotrimazole and Nystatin. The prevalence of candidiasis is higher in certain groups of women. Knowing these risk factors, Candida species and the effective antifungal drug helps in better diagnosis and treatment of women with candidiasis especially in remote settings.