ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Symptomatic urethritis is more prevalent in men infected with Mycoplasma genitalium than with Chlamydia trachomatis

L Falk¹, H Fredlund² and J S Jensen³

¹ Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Örebro University Hospital, Sweden
² Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Örebro University Hospital, Sweden
³ Mycoplasma Laboratory, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Lars Falk
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Örebro University Hospital, SE-701 85 Örebro, Sweden; lars.falk{at}orebroll.se

Objectives: To study the prevalence, symptoms, and signs of Mycoplasma genitalium and Chlamydia trachomatis infections in men attending a Swedish STD clinic and to study the criteria for urethritis.

Methods: A cross sectional study among STD clinic attendees in Örebro, Sweden. Attendees were examined for microscopic urethritis and first void urine (FVU) was tested for M genitalium and C trachomatis.

Results: The prevalence of M genitalium and C trachomatis was 7% (34/512) and 12% (61/512), respectively. Dual infection was diagnosed in four men. In both infections 90% of the patients had signs of microscopic urethritis. M genitalium positive men had symptomatic urethritis significantly more often than those infected with C trachomatis (73% v 40%, RR 1.8; 95% CI 1.2 to 2.7). 63% of female partners of men infected with M genitalium were infected with M genitalium compared with chlamydial infection in 67% of female partners of men infected with C trachomatis. Non-chlamydial non-gonococcal urethritis without evidence of M genitalium infection was diagnosed in 180 men (35%). Symptoms and/or visible discharge were reported in 49% in this group.

Conclusions: M genitalium is a common infection associated with symptomatic urethritis and with a high prevalence of infected sexual partners supporting its role as a sexually transmitted infection.

Keywords: sexually transmitted diseases; mycoplasma infections; chlamydia; Sweden

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