Long antifungal treatment increases the likelihood of eradicating pathogens in recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.

British scientists believe relapses of Candida vulvovaginitis are often caused by the same strains of the pathogen as the initial episode, so longer treatment with antifungal drugs increases the likelihood of eradication.

The June issue of Sex Transm Infect published the results of a study in which 47 women came to the clinic for symptoms of vulvovaginal candidiasis.

At the first visit, samples were taken from the walls of the vagina, a posterior vaginal smear and a smear from the rectum were taken for the study, and then the woman received local treatment - 500 mg of clotrimazole once. Pap smears and swabs were taken after 1, 4 and 12 weeks, as well as in the event of a relapse.

About half of the women have experienced a relapse and, in most cases, the same pathogenic strains have been isolated as originally. All isolates were susceptible to clotrimazole and fluconazole. According to the researchers, resistance to antifungal drugs is not an acute problem, so it is advisable to recommend prolonged antifungal treatments to increase the likelihood of eradication from yeast-like fungi.

The authors suggest one of the possible approaches for the treatment of recurrent Candida vulvovaginitis - this is an initially long treatment with oral antifungal drugs with regular prophylaxis, followed once or twice a month with drugs with both systemic and local effects.