Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC, commonly known as a yeast infection) affects a majority of women at least once in their life. Up to 10 per cent of afflicted women experience recurrent infections, for which there is no cure.

Chronic conditions that affect women are severely understudied, yet they can be incredibly detrimental to quality of life. About half of the women with recurring VCC have no identifiable risk factors, and there are few treatment options.

The fungal pathogen Candida albicans is the most prevalent species that causes VVC, yet other species and co-species infections are increasingly seen as well. Before and after treatment, we will use state-of-the art technology to characterize the genetics and drug responses of the infecting fungal population and the composition of the microbiome (i.e., the bacteria that are in the vagina during infection).

We will enroll two groups of women with VVC infections in Manitoba. The first group will contain women who have their first suspected VVC infection – they’ll be treated with fluconazole, the most common VVC drug. The second group will consist of women who have previously had infections that recurred on fluconazole, who will be treated with boric acid.

By looking for similarities and differences among the responses of these two groups of women, our results will help us to better understand how VVC infections respond similarly or differently to alternative treatments or infection types. In the long term, we aim to identify novel or personalized treatment strategies for this physically burdensome and costly condition that currently has no cure.