Abstract

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common cause of abnormal vaginal discharge in females of reproductive age group which predisposes them to other sexually transmitted diseases including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and various obstetric complications. In the present study, efficacy of OSOM BV Blue test was evaluated for diagnosing bacterial vaginosis in comparison with Gram staining. The study included 635 females with complaints of foul smelling vaginal discharge along with 50 healthy age-matched females as controls. Two vaginal swabs were collected aseptically from each patient. One swab was used for OSOM BV blue test and the other for Gram staining. OSOM BV blue test detected bacterial vaginosis in 350 (55.1%) patients, whereas, Gram staining based on Nugent’s score (7 to 10) detected BV in 343 (54.0%) patients. The sensitivity and specificity of OSOM BV blue test in comparison with Gram staining was 95.3 and 92.1% respectively. To conclude, OSOM BV blue test is a new point-of-care test useful in making prompt diagnosis and early treatment of bacterial vaginosis in the absence of microscopic facility. This test is yet to be used in India for routine diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis.

Key words: OSOM BV Blue test, bacterial vaginosis, Gram staining.