Abstract
Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is estimated to be the second most common cause of vaginitis in women after bacterial vaginitis. Estimates indicate that 75% of them may experience at least one vaginitis episode during their reproductive years and 40-50% will have recurrence (RVVC). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Candida albicans among Libyan females attending antenatal clinic, and to compare the prevalence of VCC between pregnant and non-pregnant women, and also diabetic and non-diabetic women. This study was conducted at antenatal Clinic in Tripoli, Libya between Jan 1st - July 30th, 2020. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered and total of 211 women (18-59 year-old) selected. Most patients were below 40 years (mean age of 32.7± 7.8). 38.9% of the women were pregnant and 12.3% were diabetic. Our results showed that 80.6 % (n=170) of the infection were yeast infections while the remaining 19.4% were bacterial origin. As expected, 82.9% of the patients reported having vaginal discharge and 62.6 % reported itchiness. Among the 170 patients with yeast infection, majority (51.8%) were having C. Albicans, followed by 53.3% C. glabrata, and then 12.9% were C. tropiclas. The result showed a significant sassociation between pregnancy status, diabetic status and type of infection where pregnant women as well as diabetic women were prone to have more VCC (p=0.004 and p=0.007. respectively. Candidiasis with C. albicans was the most common among all age groups. Hence, Candida screening as neonatal follow up is advised to minimize unnecessary use of antibiotics.