Investigating Candida species and associated bacteria from vaginal swabs and smears of symptomatic and asymptomatic adult women: A cross-sectional study

• A unique cluster of Candida albicans and Nakaseomyces glabrata from Thailand • Surface modifications observed on budding yeast cells • A unique interaction between bacteria and Candida yeast cells is reported • Differences in microbiome composition by age and in symptomatic and asymptomatic women is reported • Highest prevalence of Candida colonization observed in women 18-25 years age group Vaginal Candida infections are common among women affecting between 75-80% of women in their lifetime, with a higher prevalence in women of childbearing age. This study assessed vaginal carriage of Candida sp ecies and associated bacteria in adult women. A total of 101 vaginal swabs and smears from symptomatic and asymptomatic adult women were analyzed for presence of Candida sp . using culture, Gram stain, and Next Generations Sequencing. Morphology of selected Candida sp . was conducted using Scanning Electron Microscopy. Candida colonization was observed in 39.6% (40/101) of the women. Candida albicans was identified in 75.0% (30/40) of the women, while non albicans species; Nakaseomyces glabrata was observed in 7.5% (3/40), P. kudriavzevii 5% (2/40), and C. tropicalis in 2.5% (1/40). Women18-25years presented the highest prevalence of colonization among all age groups 47.5% (19/40). A significant difference in vaginal bacteria composition was observed among age groups, 18-25- and 26-35-years (α 0.05