Analysis of Infectious Characteristics of Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in Chengdu from 2018 to 2022

Background: The aim was to discover the infectivity characteristics of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, and provide a reference for RVVC clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods: The clinical data of 500 patients with RVVC were retrospectively analyzed, including life history, clinical symptoms, combined gynecological diseases, age, and distribution of pathogenic fungi, and the in vitro drug sensitivity of isolated fungi to antifungal drugs was assessed. Results: Among the 500 patients with RVVC, 486 (97.20%) had a sexual history, and the main clinical symptoms were vulva pruritus (394, 78.80%) and abnormal discharge (232, 46.40%). Common gynecological diseases were cervicitis (156 patients, 31.20%), human papillomavirus infection (130 patients, 26.00%), and coinfection with other pathogens (127 patients, 25.40%). The high-incidence population was mainly concentrated in the 31 to 40-yearold age group, followed by the 20 to 30- and 41 to 50-year-old age groups. The number of patients gradually increased with time. Fungal culture was dominated by Candida albicans (69.80%), followed by Candida glabrata (28.40%), and Candida cerevisiae (0.60%). In vitro susceptibility testing showed that the highest drug resistance rate to antifungal drugs was to terbinafine (96.40%), followed by voriconazole (32.00%), fluconazole (26.40%), and itraconazole (17.40%), whereas the drug resistance rates to 5-fluorocytosine, caspofungin, amphotericin B, and micafungin were relatively low (1.80%, 0.60%, 0.40%, and 0.00%, respectively); the drug resistance rate to azoles gradually increased with age. Conclusions: The occurrence of RVVC is closely related to sexual history. The most common cases are in women of childbearing age aged 20 - 50. The main pathogen is C. albicans, and the resistance rate to common azole antifungal drugs is increasing over time.