Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in Pregnant Women Attending the Garoua Regional Hospital (Cameroon) and Antifungals Susceptibility Profile of Isolates

Background: Both vaginal colonization and infection by yeast (a type of fungus) are most likely to occur in Pregnant women. Considering this fact and owing to the lack of data on this subject in North Cameroon, the main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) in pregnant women at the Garoua Regional Hospital and the susceptibility of isolates to some commonly used antifungal agents.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study during a period of 6 months (January to June 2023) at the Regional Hospital of Garoua. A total of 282 vaginal swabs collected were cultured on ChromAgar Candida medium for isolation and identification of the Candida species. The microdilution technique was used for the susceptibility testing of the isolates.

Results: Mycological examination revealed that, out of 282 vaginal swab samples collected, 78 (27.65%) were positive for Candida spp culture. The identification of yeast isolates showed that only two Candida species were involved in VVC in the studied population. Candida albicans was the major species with 71.79%) and Candida krusei was 28.20%. The most affected age groups were those of [26-30] and [31-35] with 35.9% each. Abundant leucorrhoea (69.23%) and pruritus (66.67%) were the most common symptoms in pregnant women with VVC. Wearing tight clothes and being under antibiotic treatment were the most prominent risk factors associated with VVC among the study participants. Candida albicans showed 100% resistance towards nystatin and amphotericin B while the highest of Candida krusei was observed with itraconazole (72.41%) and amphotericin b (96.55%). Both species showed sensitivity towards miconazole and econazole.

Conclusion: The present study has revealed that the prevalence of vulvovaginal candidiasis cases among pregnant women at the Garoua Regional Hospital is 27.65%. Only C. albicans and C. krusei were involved in VVC in the studied population. The antifungal susceptibility profile confirmed the efficacy of econazole and miconazole for the treatment.