Gardnerella vaginalis in prepubertal girls
D. L. Bartley, L. Morgan and M. E. Rimsza
A prospective study was established to determine the significance of the
isolation of Gardnerella vaginalis from the vagina in prepubertal children.
Two hundred fifty-six children were enrolled. Group 1 consisted of 137
children who had been victims of sexual abuse; group 2, forty-eight
children with genitourinary complaints and no history of sexual abuse; and
group 3, seventy-one children with no genitourinary complaints and no
history of sexual abuse. Gardnerella vaginalis was isolated from 20
patients (14.6%) in group 1 and five (4.2%) of 119 control patients from
groups 2 and 3. Within group 1, G vaginalis was more likely to be isolated
from children with a history of multiple episodes of sexual abuse than
those with a single episode. Gardnerella vaginalis was not associated with
any other historical, physical, or laboratory findings, including vaginal
erythema or vaginal discharge.
