Quantitative vaginal microflora in women convalescent from toxic shock syndrome and in healthy controls
Chow, A.W.; Bartlett, K.H.; Goldring, A.M.
Infection and Immunity 44(3): 650-652
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-9567 PMID: 6724691 Document Number: 405812
Sequential and quantitative vaginal cultures obtained from 8 women within 4 days-3 years (average, 15.8 months) after their recovery from classic menstrual toxic shock syndrome (TSS) and from 11 healthy women who served as age-matched controls were performed. Apart from tampon use, which was significantly less frequent in TSS women after their acute illness, no demographic differences were observed in the 2 groups. Significantly lower total (aerobic and anaerobic bacterial counts were found in TSS women than in healthy controls (P0.05, Mann-Whitney test). These differences were most profound during the menstrual (aerobes) and premenstrual (aeobes and anaerobes) sample times, whereas no difference in bacterial counts was observed in the midcycle samples. Although the less frequent usage of tampons among TSS women after their acute illness might explain the lower aerobic counts in menstrual specimens, this is unlikely to explain the significantly lower aerobic and anaerobic counts observed in premenstrual samples when tampons were not used in either group. It is possible that these differences in the quantitative vaginal microflora were a direct result of recent TSS in these women. Alternatively, disruption of the normal indigenous microflora could have predisposed these women to acute TSS by alteration of the resistance of vaginal colonization to pathogenic microorganisms.