Diagnosis and prevalence of bacterial vaginosis.

A prospective study of 80 women was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis, and to compare two methods of diagnosing the condition. Bacterial Vaginosis was detected by both Gram stain and compound criteria in 30 women. The prevalence was 37.5%. Gram stain provides a simple and inexpensive method for laboratory confirmation of bacterial vaginosis where facilities for using the compound criteria are not available.