Clinical meaning
Vaginitis: Vaginal Microbiome involves host-pathogen interaction, immune response, and tissue-specific infectious pathology related to vaginitis.
Diagnosis & workup
Diagnostics & workup: - Procalcitonin for bacterial infection likelihood - Sensitivity testing for targeted antimicrobial therapy - Lactate level for sepsis severity (>2 mmol/L concerning) - Lumbar puncture for CNS infection (meningitis, encephalitis) - Blood cultures x2 sets (before antibiotics) from separate sites - CT with contrast for abscess, collection, or source identification - Rapid antigen testing (strep, influenza, COVID-19, RSV)
Risk factors: - Indwelling medical devices (central lines, urinary catheters, prosthetic joints) - Recent travel to endemic areas (malaria, dengue, typhoid) - Prolonged hospitalization (>48h increases nosocomial infection risk) - Crowded living conditions (TB, meningococcal disease) - Immunocompromised state (HIV CD4 <200, transplant, chemotherapy) - IV drug use with bacteremia risk - Splenectomy with encapsulated organism susceptibility