We sought to evaluate the evidence on the prevalence of aerobic
vaginitis (AV) among symptomatic non-pregnant women, as well as the
treatment administered for this clinical entity. The PubMed and Scopus
databases were systematically searched. Sixteen studies met the
inclusion criteria, 11 of which reported on the prevalence of possible
AV, two on the prevalence of diagnosed AV, and three on the treatment
and outcomes of women with diagnosed AV. The prevalence of diagnosed AV
varied from 5 to 10.5 %. Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and
coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most commonly identified
Gram-positive pathogens among women with possible AV, with prevalences
of up to 58.7, 41.7, and 37.4 %, respectively, while Escherichia coli
was the most common Gram-negative pathogen identified, with a prevalence
of up to 23 % among symptomatic women. Regarding antibiotic treatment
for AV, the antibiotic schemes administered, which mainly consisted of
suppositories of aminoglycosides, showed good effectiveness without
serious adverse events provided by any of the included studies. The
currently available data suggest that the prevalence of AV is not
negligible, while the prevalence of possible AV is considerable.
Well-designed studies comparing the prevalence of aerobic pathogens
between symptomatic and asymptomatic women are warranted
