Abstract: Objective To establish a molecular biological method of identifying infection, recrudescence or reinfection of candidal vulvovaginitis and balanitis.Methods PCR was used to amplify the microsatellite region of the two pathogens from patients infected twice or couples infected simultaneously. The products were analyzed according to PCR fingerprinting polymorphism to determine the relationship between the two strains.Results Of the 22 tested strains, 8 strains from 4 individual patients got a similarity module above 0.8, which was considered recrudescence; 6 strains from 3 pairs of couple also displayed a similarity module above 0.8, which was regarded as a result of sexual transmission. The rest got a similarity module below 0.8, which could be considered reinfection.Conclusion To some extent, the method of microsatellite primed PCR fingerprint spectrum could identify infection, recrudescence or reinfection, the result of which could be suggestive in clinical treatment.

Key words: vulvovaginitis, balanitis, Candida spp., microsatellite primed PCR, epidemiology