{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T07:02:20Z","timestamp":1780470140034,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780444800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Microbiol."],"abstract":"\n Introduction<\/jats:title>\n Abnormal vaginal discharge is a common and clinically important presenting complaint and reason for specimen submission, often suggesting lower genital tract disorders such as vaginal infections, and may adversely affect women\u2019s reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of common bacteria isolated from vaginal discharge specimens submitted from hospitalized patients at Longgang District Maternity &amp; Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City, in order to provide a reference for the interpretation of clinical specimen results and empirical antimicrobial therapy.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n Non-duplicate bacterial isolates recovered from vaginal discharge specimens collected from hospitalized patients between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2025 were retrospectively analyzed, and the composition of common vaginal bacterial isolates, the age distribution of patients, and the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of major isolates to commonly used antibiotics were assessed.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n A total of 1,094 non-duplicate positive bacterial isolates were identified during 2021\u20132025, with Gram-positive bacteria predominating (65.2%). The major isolates were\n Streptococcus agalactiae<\/jats:italic>\n ,\n Escherichia coli<\/jats:italic>\n , and\n Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae<\/jats:italic>\n . Most cases were from the obstetrics department, and the majority of patients were women aged 25\u201334\u202fyears. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed marked differences in antimicrobial susceptibility profiles among bacterial species:\n Streptococcus agalactiae<\/jats:italic>\n remained highly susceptible to penicillins and vancomycin, but showed high resistance rates to clindamycin and tetracycline;\n Escherichia coli<\/jats:italic>\n and\n Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae<\/jats:italic>\n had relatively high rates of extended-spectrum \u03b2-lactamase (ESBL) positivity, while remaining highly susceptible to amikacin, carbapenems, and tigecycline; some isolates also exhibited notable resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, fluoroquinolones, and certain \u03b2-lactam antibiotics.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Discussion<\/jats:title>\n \n Vaginal bacterial isolates from hospitalized patients were predominantly composed of\n Streptococcus agalactiae<\/jats:italic>\n and members of the Enterobacteriaceae family, and were mainly derived from the obstetrics department and women of reproductive age. Marked differences in antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were observed among bacterial species, suggesting that maternal and child healthcare hospitals should strengthen local surveillance of isolate distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility in order to support more precise empirical therapy and antimicrobial stewardship.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1849684","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]],"date-time":"2026-06-03T06:06:37Z","timestamp":1780466797000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of bacterial isolates from vaginal discharge specimens among hospitalized patients in a tertiary maternal and child healthcare hospital in Shenzhen, China"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Tongyan","family":"Ding","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance and Prevention, Medical Research Institute of Maternal and Child, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City (Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children's Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College)","place":["Shenzhen, Guangdong, China"]},{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Guangzhou Women and Children\u2019s Medical Center, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University","place":["Guangzhou, Guangdong, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaochun","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance and Prevention, Medical Research Institute of Maternal and Child, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City (Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children's Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical 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College)","place":["Shenzhen, Guangdong, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaojie","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance and Prevention, Medical Research Institute of Maternal and Child, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City (Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children's Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College)","place":["Shenzhen, Guangdong, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhimin","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance and Prevention, Medical Research Institute of Maternal and Child, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City (Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children's Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College)","place":["Shenzhen, Guangdong, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shujuan","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance and Prevention, Medical Research Institute of Maternal and Child, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City (Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children's Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College)","place":["Shenzhen, Guangdong, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Futing","family":"Liao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance and Prevention, Medical Research Institute of Maternal and Child, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City (Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children's Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College)","place":["Shenzhen, Guangdong, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qiaoxin","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College","place":["Shantou, Guangdong, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhenwen","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance and Prevention, Medical Research Institute of Maternal and Child, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City (Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children's Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College)","place":["Shenzhen, Guangdong, China"]},{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Guangzhou Women and Children\u2019s Medical Center, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University","place":["Guangzhou, Guangdong, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"572","DOI":"10.1186\/s12905-023-02746-w","article-title":"Bacterial isolates and antibiotic susceptibility among women with abnormal vaginal discharge attending the gynecology clinic at a tertiary hospital in southwestern Uganda: a cross-sectional study","volume":"23","author":"Ahabwe","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Womens Health"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9813","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-58654-y","article-title":"Aerobic vaginitis, bacterial vaginosis, and vaginal candidiasis among women of reproductive age in Arba Minch, southern Ethiopia","volume":"14","author":"Aklilu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci. 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Int."},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0015422","DOI":"10.1128\/cmr.00154-22","article-title":"Group B streptococcal infections in pregnancy and early life","volume":"38","author":"Manuel","year":"2025","journal-title":"Clin. Microbiol. Rev."},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e1004385","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1004385","article-title":"Aetiology of vaginal discharge, urethral discharge, and genital ulcer in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-regression","volume":"21","author":"Michalow","year":"2024","journal-title":"PLoS Med."},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2622690","DOI":"10.1080\/14760584.2026.2622690","article-title":"Vaccines preventing neonatal sepsis: focus on group B Streptococcus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli to combat rising antimicrobial resistance","volume":"25","author":"Micoli","year":"2026","journal-title":"Expert Rev. 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