OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the presence of curved rods, suggesting Mobiluncus sp, and leukocytosis on Gram and Papanicolaou-stained vaginal smears in cases of bacterial vaginosis. METHODS: two hundred and five vaginal smears were studied by the Papanicolaou's method and other 205 vaginal smears, in the same patients, were evaluated by Gram staining. The diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis was made clinically by one of the authors (J.E.J.) using Amsel's criteria. In the Gram method stained smears the Nugent's score was calculated and the presence of curved rods was evaluated. In Papanicolaou's smears curved rods were searched as well the presence of leukocytes. The data were analyzed by Prism 3.0® with confidence interval of 95% using the Fisher exact test with modified Wald's method. RESULTS: on Pap smears the curved rods were present in 51.7% of the cases. The number of leukocytes varied, although the leukopenia was more frequent. In Gram-stained smears the curved rods were present in 46.8% of the cases and the Nugent's score was 8 in 48.3% of the cases. The finding of Mobiluncus sp in both methods occurred in 82%. When curved rods were observed leukocytosis occurred in 57.5% (p < 0.0001). In the same way, leukocytosis was more frequent in Nugent's scores 9 and 10. CONCLUSION: curved rods were observed in about 52% of bacterial vaginosis. Leukocytosis in Pap smears was more frequent when Mobiluncus sp were found with higher Nugent's scores.
Bacterial vaginosis; Mobiluncus sp. Papanicolaou stain
