{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,20]],"date-time":"2026-07-20T23:33:42Z","timestamp":1784590422070,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,25]],"date-time":"2024-12-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1735084800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Direcci\u00f3n General de Pol\u00edticas de Investigaci\u00f3n en Salud (DGPIS)","award":["FPIS2023-HRAEI-6212"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FPIS2023-HRAEI-6212"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JoF"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) can lead to multiple complications when it occurs during pregnancy, so it is necessary to diagnose it promptly for effective treatment. Traditional methods for identifying Candida spp. are often too time-consuming and have limited specificity and sensitivity. In this work, we evaluated the diagnostic utility of an endpoint PCR assay (Cand PCR) in vaginal swab specimens. Using a cotton swab, 108 vaginal swab samples were taken from pregnant women who consented to participate in the study. The samples were inoculated in Sabouraud agar plates (the gold standard) and subsequently used to extract DNA directly from the exudate. The yeasts isolated from the Sabouraud agar were identified in CHROMagar\u2122 Candida. DNA extracted from vaginal swabs was amplified by Cand PCR. Based on the results of the Cand PCR and the gold standard, sensitivity (S), specificity (E), positive predictive values (PPVs), and negative predictive values (NPVs) were determined. Cand PCR presented an S = 65%, E = 100%, PPV = 100% and NPV = 91%. Cand PCR showed low sensitivity for detecting Candida spp. directly from vaginal swabs, but it was useful for identifying the etiologic agent and reducing the time to obtain the result, which is usually at least 48 h.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jof11010005","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,25]],"date-time":"2024-12-25T19:29:52Z","timestamp":1735154992000},"page":"5","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Utility of Cand PCR in the Diagnosis of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in Pregnant Women"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Eduardo","family":"Garc\u00eda-Salazar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Micolog\u00eda Molecular, Unidad de Investigaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad de Ixtapaluca, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social para el Bienestar (IMSS-BIENESTAR), Carretera Federal M\u00e9xico-Puebla Km 34.5, Ixtapaluca CP 56530, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paola","family":"Betancourt-Cisneros","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Micolog\u00eda Molecular, Unidad de Investigaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad de Ixtapaluca, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social para el Bienestar (IMSS-BIENESTAR), Carretera Federal M\u00e9xico-Puebla Km 34.5, Ixtapaluca CP 56530, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"X\u00f3chitl","family":"Ram\u00edrez-Maga\u00f1a","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Servicio de Ginecolog\u00eda y Obstetricia, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad de Ixtapaluca, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social para el Bienestar (IMSS-BIENESTAR), Carretera Federal M\u00e9xico-Puebla Km 34.5, Ixtapaluca CP 56530, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hugo","family":"D\u00edaz-Huerta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad de Calidad y Riesgo Biol\u00f3gico, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad de Ixtapaluca, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social para el Bienestar (IMSS-BIENESTAR), Carretera Federal M\u00e9xico-Puebla Km 34.5, Ixtapaluca CP 56530, Mexico"},{"name":"Programa de Maestr\u00eda en Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico Nacional, M\u00e9xico City CP 07340, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7298-158X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Erick","family":"Mart\u00ednez-Herrera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Secci\u00f3n de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigaci\u00f3n, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y D\u00edaz Mir\u00f3n s\/n, Col. Casco de Santo Tomas, Alcald\u00eda Miguel Hidalgo, M\u00e9xico City CP 11340, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3160-8698","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mar\u00eda Guadalupe","family":"Fr\u00edas-De-Le\u00f3n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Micolog\u00eda Molecular, Unidad de Investigaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica, Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad de Ixtapaluca, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social para el Bienestar (IMSS-BIENESTAR), Carretera Federal M\u00e9xico-Puebla Km 34.5, Ixtapaluca CP 56530, Mexico"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"253","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.00076-09","article-title":"Candida infections of the genitourinary tract","volume":"23","author":"Achkar","year":"2010","journal-title":"Clin. Microbiol. 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