Ann Clin Microbiol 2025;29(2):9. Laser scattering signal amplification and deep learning for detection of Candida culture positivity in women with vaginal symptoms: a preliminary analytical and pilot clinical evaluation
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Age, years — median (IQR) | 49.5 (44–55); range 29–63 |
| Premenopausal | 13 (65.0%) |
| Postmenopausal | 6 (30.0%) |
| Unknown menopausal statusa) | 1 (5.0%) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 4 (20.0%) |
| Presenting symptoms | |
| Vaginal discharge | 15 (75.0%) |
| Itching | 10 (50.0%) |
| Other symptomsb) | 4 (20.0%) |
| Recent medications | |
| Antifungal use within 2 weeks | 1 (5.0%) |
| Antibiotic use within 2 weeks | 0 (0.0%) |
| Vaginal douching within 1 week | 1 (5.0%) |
| Candida culture vs. LSSA prediction | |
| Culture positive / LSSA positive (TP) | 1 |
| Culture positive / LSSA negative (FN) | 4 |
| Culture negative / LSSA positive (FP) | 0 |
| Culture negative / LSSA negative (TN) | 15 |
| Diagnostic performance (95% CI) | |
| Sensitivity | 20.0% (0.5–71.6%) |
| Specificity | 100.0% (78.2–100.0%) |
| PPV | 100.0% (2.5–100.0%) |
| NPV | 78.9% (54.4–93.9%) |
| Overall accuracy | 80.0% (56.3–94.3%) |
a)One patient receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist therapy.
b)Other symptoms: perineal redness, atrophic vaginitis, odor.
Individual specimen results are provided in Supplementary Table S2. 95% CIs were calculated using the exact Clopper–Pearson binomial method.
Abbreviations: TP, true positive; FN, false negative; FP, false positive; TN, true negative; CI, confidence interval; PPV, positive predictive value; NPV, negative predictive value; LSSA, laser scattering signal amplification.