Nwokolo Jennifer Ezimdimma¹, James Damen², Ezekiel Fwangmun Gushit³, Nwokolo Uchechukwu Emmanuel⁴, Chukwu Doris Isioma⁵, Barde Israel Joshua⁵* and Chukwu Otuh Okoh Chukwu⁶

¹Community Department, AIDS Preventive Initiative of Nigeria Rayfield Road, Jos,
Plateau State, Nigeria
²Department of Medical Laboratory Science University of Jos, Plateau State,
Nigeria
³Department of Microbiology, Childcare and Wellness Clinics, No 26 Anthony
Enahoro Street, Utako, Abuja, Nigeria
⁴Outpatient Department, Military Hospital Port Harcourt Aba Express Way, New
GRA Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
⁵National Veterinary Research Institute Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria
⁶Federal College of Veterinary and Medical Laboratory Technology Vom, Plateau
State, Nigeria

*Corresponding Author: Barde Israel Joshua, National Veterinary Research Institute Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria.

Received: September 02, 2024; Published: May 07, 2026

Abstract

Vaginal candidiasis is the most common opportunistic mucosal infection that affects large numbers of healthy women worldwide. This cross-sectional study was aimed at determining the prevalence of vaginal candidiasis among female students of University of Jos between the period of September and November 2019. There were 132 female students who consented and participated in the study. Structured questionnaires were administered to obtain the subjects’ socio-demographic and clinical information. High vaginal swabs were collected from each participant and cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar. Identification of the isolates was based on morphological appearance, microscopy and germ tube formation. The overall prevalence of vaginal candidiasis was 34 (25.8%). Out of 34 yeasts isolates, 10 (29.4%) were Candida albicans while 24 (70.6%) were non- candida albicans species. The age group of 20-30 years had the highest prevalence of 28(26.9%). It showed that the prevalence of vaginal candidiasis was higher in Medical Laboratory Science Department 18(30.0%) than in Nursing Department 16(22.2%). There was statistically significant relationship between vaginal candidiasis and antibiotic therapy and also with vaginal discomfort/discharge (P<0.05) but there was no significant relationship between vaginal candidiasis and previous infection with vaginal candidiasis, vaginal douching, oral contraceptive and tight nylon pant. This study established the presence of vaginal candidiasis among students of University of Jos and recommends good personal hygiene and enlightenment of the risk factors of vaginal candidiasis to the study population.

Keywords: Vaginal Candidiasis; Students; University of Jos

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Citation

Citation: Nwokolo Jennifer Ezimdimma., et al. “Prevalence of Vaginal Candidiasis among Female Students of University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria". Acta Scientific Microbiology 9.5 (2026): 25-32.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Nwokolo Jennifer Ezimdimma., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.