Hindawi Publishing Corporation Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology Volume 2012, Article ID 378640, 6 pages doi:10.1155/2012/378640 Clinical Study Prevalence and Risk Factors for Bacterial Vaginosis and Other Vulvovaginitis in a Population of Sexually Active Adolescents from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil Rita Elizabeth Moreira Mascarenhas,1, 2 M a´rcia Sacramento Cunha Machado,1 Bruno Fernando Borges da Costa e Silva,1 Rodrigo Fernandes Weyll Pimentel,1 Tatiana Teixeira Ferreira,1 Fernanda Maria Silva Leoni,1 and Maria Fernanda Rios Grassi1, 2 1 Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health (EBMSP), 40290-000 Salvador, BA, Brazil 2 Advanced Laboratory of Public Health (CPQGM), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), 40296-710 Salvador, BA, Brazil Correspondence should be addressed to Rita Elizabeth Moreira Mascarenhas, rita@conveniado.bahia.ﬁocruz.br Received 6 July 2012; Revised 6 September 2012; Accepted 20 September 2012 Academic Editor: Catherine L. Haggerty Copyright © 2012 Rita Elizabeth Moreira Mascarenhas et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and genital candidiasis are considered the main etiologies of vulvovaginitis. Few studies estimate the prevalence of vulvovaginitis among adolescents, especially in Brazil. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and main risk factors associated with bacterial vaginosis and genital infection by C. albicans and Trichomonas vaginalis among a group of adolescents from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. One hundred sexually active adolescents followed at an adolescent gynecology clinic were included. Endocervical and vaginal samples were obtained during gynecological examination. Nugent criteria were applied for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis. For Candida albicans and Trichomonas vaginalis detection, culture in Sabouraud agar plates and Papanicolaou cytology were used, respectively. The mean age of participants was 16.6 ± 1.6 years. The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was 20% (95% CI 12–28) and of genital infection by Candida was 22% (95% CI 14–30). Vaginal cytology detected Trichomonas vaginalis in one patient. Alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use (P = 0.02) and multiple lifetime partners were statistically related to bacterial vaginosis (P = 0.01). The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis and genital candidiasis was similar to other studies carried out among adolescents worldwide. 1. Introduction Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are prevalent, it is estimated that 340 million new cases occur among adults worldwide [1]. These conditions are also regarded as an important public health problem for its medical, social and economic implications [2]. Vaginal infection is one of the most common gynecological aﬀections and vaginal discharge is one of the most common reasons for which women seek medical attention [3]. Vulvovaginitis is a usual cause of genital infection in women. Bacterial vaginosis, Candida albicans genital infection and trichomoniasis are considered the main etiologies of vulvovaginitis [4, 5]. Bacterial vaginosis is a dysbiosis, in which a decrease in resident vaginal lactobacilli is associated with a growth of anaerobic polymicrobial ﬂora. Bacterial vaginosis is not considered a STD, being usually described, however, as a sexually enhanced disease, in which the frequency of intercourse plays a critical role [6]. Furthermore, bacterial vaginosis has been associated with increased susceptibility to HIV-AIDS and other STD [7]. Candida genital infection is the leading cause of fun- gal vulvovaginitis. Pregnancy, broad-spectrum antibiotic use, diabetes mellitus, and immunodeﬁciency have been described as important risk factors for Candida genital infec- tion; however, asymptomatic microorganism colonization can occur in 25 to 50% of the cases [4, 8, 9]. Trichomonas vaginitis is often transmitted by sexual in- tercourse. It is the most common sexually transmitted pathogen, accounting for 180 million infections annually