Koparde and Vladimir Lee. It remains unclear why African American women would be more likely to be colonized by L. Women often mistake any vulval symptoms for thrush — a yeast infection with symptoms that include itching, redness, swelling and a cottage cheese-like discharge. Abstract Women of European ancestry are more likely to harbour a Lactobacillus -dominated microbiome, whereas African American women are more likely to exhibit a diverse microbial profile.