Bacterial Vaginosis-An Ecologic Mystery

Excerpt

In 1955, Gardner and Dukes (1) reported a new vaginal syndrome that they attributed to Haemophilus vaginalis, an organism first described in their report. The same organism is now called Gardnerella vaginalis on the basis of DNA homology (2). Before 1955, any patient with vaginitis from whom trichomonas and candida were not isolated was deemed to have nonspecific vaginitis. The contribution by Gardner and Dukes was primarily the recognition that a distinct vaginal entity with specific clinical criteria existed. Diagnostic criteria have now been established that facilitate the day-to-day specific recognition of this entity. The diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis is