Diagnosis without tests

Pads and tampons have learned to detect thrush

Anastasia Kuznetsova, N+1

Indian scientists have developed a system for determining vaginal candidiasis. It consists of cotton threads and is embedded in feminine hygiene products. The presence of Candida albicans is indicated by pink staining, which occurs after binding of the substrate deposited on the filaments with the enzyme of the fungus. The procedure takes ten minutes. The work was published in ACS Omega (Prabhu et al., Knitting Thread Devices: Detecting Candida albicans Using Napkins and Tampons).

Vaginal candidiasis, or thrush, is a fungal infection of the female genital tract, which is caused by yeast–like fungi of the genus Candida (usually Candida albicans). According to statistics, 75 percent of women have encountered it at least once in their lives. At the same time, 9 percent have episodes of exacerbation more than three times a year. Candida is part of the normal vaginal microflora, and girls get this fungus during birth or in the first days of life. Fungi begin to multiply abundantly when, for some reason, the local immunity weakens, as well as after the use of antibiotics.

The researchers tested the obtained products using samples of vaginal secretions containing Candida albicans. It took only ten minutes for the pink color to appear, for comparison in the laboratory, the results are obtained in 24-72 hours. The minimum number of yeast fungi required for detection: 580000 colony-forming units per milliliter.

The intensity of thread staining depends on the concentration of Candida albicans. A picture from an article in ACS Omega.

The researchers conclude that the system is easy to use, gives quick results, and its cost is quite affordable (22-28 cents). Scientists hope to develop similar systems for the diagnosis of other genitourinary infections.

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