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Summary
A prospective epidemiological study was made of vaginal carriage of Gardnerella vaginalis intrapartum and postpartum in 275 women with normal pregnancies. Thirty-five women (13 per cent) carried G. vaginalis on the day of delivery with no clinical manifestations. The rate was higher with low socio-economic status (P < 0-001). Vaginal carriage increased after vaginal delivery (37 per cent on day 5; P < 10−9) but not after a caesarean section. No infectious complications were observed but the early use of antibiotics in case of G. vaginalis monoculture prevented any assessment of the pathogenic effect of G. vaginalis in the postpartum period. The carriage rate returned to normal after a few weeks whether or not antibiotics were given following the fifth day. These results confirm that G. vaginalis belongs to the commensal vaginal flora and suggest that it often proliferates temporarily after delivery.