Near-Patient Testing for the Diagnosis of Vaginitis

There are 3 main infectious disease causes of the clinical syndrome of vaginitis: Candida sp, Trichomonas vaginalis, and the entity referred to as bacterial vaginosis. The diagnosis of all 3 causes is often made with a combination of clinical criteria and observations of a wet mount preparation of the vaginal discharge for the presence of yeast (representative of Candida sp), motile trichomonads (T. vaginalis), and/ or the presence of "clue cells." The wet mount examination lacks sensitivity, which can result in underdiagnosis of up to 72% of patients. The present article reviews guidelines for the diagnosis of vaginitis along with alternative and future methods of diagnosis in the point of care.