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Sex Transm Infect 2005;81:458-462 doi:10.1136/sti.2004.012062
  • Mycoplasma genitalium

Mycoplasma genitalium: prevalence, clinical significance, and transmission

  1. C Anagrius1,
  2. B Loré2,
  3. J S Jensen3
  1. 1Department of Venereology, Falu Lasarett, SE-791 82 Falun, Sweden
  2. 2Department of Clinical Microbiology, Falu Lasarett, SE-791 82 Falun, Sweden
  3. 3Statens Serum Institut, Mycoplasma Laboratory, DK-2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark
  1. Correspondence to:
 Carin Anagrius
 Department of Venereology, Falu Lasarett, SE-791 82 Falun, Sweden; carin.anagrius{at}ltdalarna.se
  • Accepted 22 February 2005

Abstract

Objectives: To study the prevalence, symptoms and signs of Mycoplasma genitalium and Chlamydia trachomatis infections in STD clinic attendees and in partners of M genitalium infected patients.

Methods:M genitalium and C trachomatis were detected by polymerase chain reaction from urethral and endocervical swab specimens in a cross sectional study among 445 female and 501 male STD clinic attendees. Partners of 26 female and 26 male M genitalium positive index patients were examined.

Results: The prevalence of C trachomatis and M genitalium was 4% and 6.3%, respectively, among the women and 5.4% and 6%, respectively, among the men. Dual infections were uncommon. M genitalium was strongly associated with urethritis in both men and women and with cervicitis in women. Among M genitalium infected men, symptomatic urethritis was more common than asymptomatic urethritis. M genitalium and C trachomatis were not associated with symptoms of urethritis or cervicitis in women. Of 26 male partners of M genitalium positive female index patients, 38% were positive, and 77% of the negative partners had symptoms of urethritis. The concordance rate for 22 female partners of male index patients was 45%. For both men and women the M genitalium prevalence was significantly higher in partners of M genitalium positive index patients than in M genitalium negative index patients with urethritis and/or cervicitis.

Conclusions:M genitalium is associated with urethritis in both men and women and with cervicitis in women. A high concordance rate was found among sexual partners of M genitalium infected patients, indicating that the infection is sexually transmitted.

Footnotes

  • Sources of financial support: This work was supported by grants from Centre for Clinical Research Dalarna, Sweden.

  • Conflict of interest: no author had any conflict of interest, either financial or personal, that may have biased his or her actions.

  • Meetings at which part of these data were presented: The Swedish Microbiology Spring meeting, Örebro, Sweden, May 2002 and Kalmar, Sweden, April 2004; ISSTDR, Ottawa, Canada, July 2003; Nordic Congress of Dermatology and Venereology, Odense, Denmark, May 2004.

    This study was approved by the ethics committee, Dalarna, Sweden, and all participants provided informed consent.

    Parts of these data have previously been published in Swedish (Anagrius C, Lore B. Läkartidningen 2002;:–5, 4858–9).

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