ArticleSexually transmitted diseases2018
The Etiology of Vaginal Discharge Syndrome in Zimbabwe: Results from the Zimbabwe STI Etiology Study.
Article in Sexually transmitted diseases, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Uptake of and factors associated with testing for sexually transmitted infections in community-based settings among youth in Zimbabwe: a mixed-methods study.The Lancet. Child & adolescent health · 2021Trial
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- Impact of Gender, Location, and Seasonality on the Prevalence of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia Co-infections in Northern Vietnam.Indian journal of microbiology · 2025Article
- High Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections and Poor Sensitivity and Specificity of Screening Algorithms for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Among Female Sex Workers in Zimbabwe: Analysis of Respondent-Driven Sampling Surveys in 3 Communities.Sexually transmitted diseases · 2025Article
- Syndromic management of sexually transmitted infections among female sex workers in Lomé (Togo), 2023.PloS one · 2025Article
- Article
- Novel lateral flow assay for point-of-care detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in syndromic management settings: a cross-sectional performance evaluation.Lancet (London, England) · 2024Article
- Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), associations with sociodemographic and behavioural factors, and assessment of the syndromic management of vaginal discharge in women with urogenital complaints in Mozambique.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2024Article
- Evaluation and optimization of the syndromic management of female genital tract infections in Nairobi, Kenya.BMC infectious diseases · 2023Article
- Importance of Candida infection and fluconazole resistance in women with vaginal discharge syndrome in Namibia.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2022Article
- Developing and validating a risk algorithm to diagnose Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis in symptomatic Rwandan women.BMC infectious diseases · 2021Article
- Article
- Sexually transmitted infections in pregnant women from sub-Saharan Africa.Southern African journal of infectious diseases · 2021Review
- Serological Markers for Syphilis Among Persons Presenting With Syndromes Associated With Sexually Transmitted Infections: Results From the Zimbabwe STI Etiology Study.Sexually transmitted diseases · 2019Article
- The Prevalence of Mycoplasma genitalium and Association With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Symptomatic Patients, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2007-2014.Sexually transmitted diseases · 2019Article
- A Study ofJournal of parasitology research · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionSymptomatic vaginal discharge is a common gynecological condition managed syndromically in most developing countries. In Zimbabwe, women presenting with symptomatic vaginal discharge are treated with empirical regimens that commonly cover both sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and reproductive tract infections, typically including a combination of an intramuscular injection of kanamycin, and oral doxycycline and metronidazole regimens. This study was conducted to determine the current etiology of symptomatic vaginal discharge and assess adequacy of current syndromic management guidelines.
methodsWe enrolled 200 women with symptomatic vaginal discharge presenting at 6 STI clinics in Zimbabwe. Microscopy was used to detect bacterial vaginosis and yeast infection. Nucleic acid amplifications tests were used to detect Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Mycoplasma genitalium. In addition, serologic testing was performed to detect human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
resultsOf the 200 women, 146 (73%) had an etiology detected, including bacterial vaginosis (24.7%); N. gonorrhoeae (24.0%); yeast infection (20.7%); T. vaginalis (19.0%); C. trachomatis (14.0%) and M. genitalium (7.0%). Among women with STIs (N = 90), 62 (68.9%) had a single infection, 18 (20.0%) had a dual infection, and 10 (11.1%) had 3 infections.Of 158 women who consented to HIV testing, 64 (40.5%) were HIV infected.The syndromic management regimen covered 115 (57.5%) of the women in the sample who had gonorrhea, chlamydia, M. genitalium, or bacterial vaginosis, whereas 85 (42.5%) of women were treated without such diagnosis.
conclusionsAmong women presenting with symptomatic vaginal discharge, bacterial vaginosis was the most common etiology, and gonorrhea was the most frequently detected STI. The current syndromic management algorithm is suboptimal for coverage of women presenting with symptomatic vaginal discharge; addition of point of care testing could compliment the effectiveness of the syndromic approach.
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