A New Therapy for Uncomplicated Vulvovaginal Candidiasis and Its Impact on Vaginal Flora
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Background: An estimated 75% of women will have one episode of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VCC) during their lifetime, and 40–50% of these will experience further episodes. The high incidence of vulvovaginal candidiasis, combined with the problems of azole resistance and toxicity, highlights the necessity for new strategies for the treatment of this condition. In this context, natural compounds represent promising alternatives. Methods: We enrolled, between January 2020 and April 2021, forty women affected by uncomplicated vulvovaginal candidiasis. Women were divided into two groups. In the first group, we treated 20 women with clotrimazole daily administration for six days. In the second group, 20 women were treated with clotrimazole associated with Unilen® Microbio+, a new product containing Saccharomyces cerevisiae, melatonin, and GLA-14. Women underwent a check at days 15, 30, and 90. A clinical and cultural examination were performed to establish the effect of the treatments on vaginal flora. Results: In the group treated with Unilen® Microbio+, clinical and microbiological cure at 15 and 30 days was observed in 18 women (90%), compared with 16 women (80%) in the group treated only with clotrimazole. The efficacy of the association between clotrimazole and Unilen® Microbio+ in these uncomplicated forms was therefore not inferior to the azole treatment alone. Only four women (20%) in the Unilen® Microbio+ group presented symptomatic recurrences within the 3 months, compared with eight women (40%) in the clotrimazole-only group. Microscopic wet mount analysis at 1 and 3 months demonstrated a significant increase in lactobacillus count and a reduction in the polymorphonucleate cells in the Unilen® Microbio+ group. Conclusions: Unilen® Microbio+ supplementation was demonstrated to cure uncomplicated vulvovaginal candidiasis with clotrimazole, reducing recurrence and improving vaginal flora better than clotrimazole treatment alone.
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The frequency of relapses was twice as high in the group treated with clotrimazole alone than in the group treated with Unilen® Microbio+.
“Moreover, the frequency of relapses was twice as high in the group treated with clotrimazole alone than in the group treated with the preparation [40].”
From Treatment of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis—An Overview of Guidelines and the Latest Treatment Methods (2023) · cites this paper as [40]
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- Authors
- Stabile, G., Gentile, R. M., Carlucci, S., Restaino, S., & De Seta, F.
- Affiliations
- IRCCS Materno Infantile Burlo Garofolo (IT)
- University of Trieste (IT)
- Azienda sanitaria universitaria Giuliano Isontina (IT)
- Ospedale Santa Maria della Misericordia di Udine (IT)
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, 34137 Trieste, Italy
- Corresponding author
- Stabile, Guglielmo
- Venue
- Healthcare
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2021-11-16
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1555
- ISSN
- 2227-9032 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8625853
- OpenAlex
- W3211941610
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4
- FWCI
- 1.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Healthcare (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ArTS Archivio della ricerca di Trieste (University of Trieste https://www.units.it/) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Microbiology › Reproductive tract infections research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Antifungal resistance and susceptibility
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity
- Keywords
- vaginal candidiasis, clotrimazole, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, melatonin, vaginal microbiota, lactobacilli, candidiasis recurrence, azole resistance, probiotic supplementation, natural compounds
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