Article Text
Abstract
Objectives: To study the prevalence, symptoms, and signs of Mycoplasma genitalium and Chlamydia trachomatis infections in women attending a Swedish STD clinic, accessible for both sexes, and in a group of young women called in the cervical cancer screening programme.
Methods: A cross sectional study among female STD clinic attendees in Örebro and a study among women called for Papanicolaou smear screening. Attendees were examined for urethritis and cervicitis. First void urine and endocervical samples were tested for M genitalium and C trachomatis.
Results: The prevalence of C trachomatis and M genitalium in the STD clinic population was 10% (45/465) and 6% (26/461), respectively. Dual infection was diagnosed in four women. In the cancer screening group of women the corresponding prevalence was 2% (1/59) and 0%, respectively. Among the STD clinic attendees there were no significant differences in symptoms (32% v 23%, RR 1.4, 95% CI 0.6 to 3.4) or signs (71% v 50%, RR 1.4, 95% CI 0.9 to 2.3) between C trachomatis and M genitalium infections. Microscopic signs of cervicitis were significantly more common among M genitalium and C trachomatis infected women than in the cancer screening group of women. 56% (15/27) of male partners of M genitalium infected women were infected with M genitalium compared to 59% of male partners of C trachomatis infected women who were infected with C trachomatis (p = 0.80).
Conclusions:M genitalium is a common infection associated with cervicitis and with a high prevalence of infected sexual partners supporting its role as a cause of sexually transmitted infection.
- FVU, first void urine
- HPF, high power field
- NCNGU, non-chlamydial non-gonococcal urethritis
- NGU, non-gonococcal urethritis
- NSI, non-specific inflammation
- PCR, polymerase chain reaction
- PMNL, polymorphonuclear leucocytes
- STI, sexually transmitted infections
- sexually transmitted infections
- Mycoplasma
- Chlamydia
- prevalence
- women
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Footnotes
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Funded by the Research Committee of Örebro County Council, Örebro Medical Centre Research Foundation. The research ethics committee of Örebro County Council approved the first part of the study 1 November 1999 and the second part of the study 27 August 2002.
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Conflict of interest: none declared.