Abstract
Vaginal yeasts from 992 full-term pregnancy parturients in the delivery room were cultured and identified. Yeasts were similarly cultured from the mouth of the newborns seven days after birth to find out whether a viable yeast infection had taken place. Anamnestic data concerning genital infection earlier or during the present pregnancy were collected from the parturients. The yeast findings are compared with results from similar cultures from gynecologic out-patients. Vaginal yeast infection had been diagnosed before the present pregnancy in 16.5 per cent and in some phase of the present pregnancy before the delivery in 8.5 per cent of the parturients. A positive yeast culture with no clinical symptoms during the pregnancy was found in 9.9 per cent. Clinical symptoms were present in 61 per cent of the yeast culture positive parturients. Altogether 3 155 specimens were studied and 670 yeasts were identified. Positive yeast cultures from parturients were obtained in 23.7 per cent and from gynecologic patients in 30.9 per cent. Candida albicans was the most common yeast. It was followed by Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the parturients and Torulopsis glabrata in the gynecologic patients. Pityrosporum ovale/orbiculare was also common in the latter material. S. cerevisiae as well as Pityrosporum species are usually not identified in the medical yeast laboratories, for methodological reasons. Positive yeast culture from the mouth of the newborns were obtained only in 20 cases. A symptomatic oral candidosis was not present in any of the cases.