A study was carried out on 131 vaginal swabs that were taken from 98 women who had a discharge and 33 women who were asymptomatic to determine the frequency in which Gardnerella vaginalis was discovered. This study shows that this bacteria is the only micro-organism that is found in a significantly higher number of women with nonspecific discharges (37%) than in those who have no discharge (9.1%). These results, while they do not show that Gardnerella vaginalis is the only aetiological factor in nonspecific vaginitis, do underline that it is a factor in thinking about such a syndrome and therefore it should be looked for by the laboratory and by the doctor treating patients.