Abstract
The possibility that Ureaplasma urealyticum might play an important role in human infertility was first raised more than 20 years ago, but this association remains speculative. Considering the hypothesis that the pathogenicity of Ureaplasma urealyticum may depend on its serotypes, the clastogenic effects of different strains of Ureaplasma urealyticum, at concentrations of 10(3) CCU (color changing units)/ml, 10(4) CCU/ml and 10(5) CCU/ml, were evaluated in vitro in short-term cultures of human lymphocytes. Total or partial mitotic inhibition was produced by Ureaplasma urealyticum serotypes 2, 3 and 10 independent of the concentration (10(3) CCU/ml, 10(4) CCU/ml or 10(5) CCU/ml) of the microorganisms employed. In contrast, the clastogenic effects observed with serotypes 1, 7 and 12 varied according to the concentration employed in the test. Mitotic alterations were observed in Ureaplasma urealyticum serotypes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12. Chromatid gaps (53.0%) and chromatid breaks (13.9%) were the most frequent types of alterations observed. The results of this in vitro assay demonstrated that the clastogenic effects varied with the Ureaplasma urealyticum serotypes evaluated.
Highlights
Mycoplasmas are the smallest prokaryotes able to self-replicate and their main feature is the absence of a cell wall
The objective of the present study was to determine the clastogenic effects of different Ureaplasma urealyticum serotypes on human chromosomes in vitro
We studied the effects of the microorganism on mitosis and mitotic index
Summary
Mycoplasmas are the smallest prokaryotes able to self-replicate and their main feature is the absence of a cell wall. These two facts account for some of the distinctive characteristics peculiar to the group. Ureaplasma urealyticum is a common inhabitant of the urogenital tract and has been associated with non-gonococcal urethritis and chronic prostatitis with direct interference with spermatogenesis, among other diseases. The higher incidence of chorioamnionitis, premature birth, fetal loss, premature rupture of fetal membranes and low-weight newborns observed among women with Ureaplasma-positive placentas is evidence of the vertical transmission of the microorganism. The high colonization rates in pregnancy make it difficult to validate the concept of fetal/neonatal infection based only on the isolation of Ureaplasma urealyticum. The possible consequences of this colonization cannot and must not be ignored in pregnant women with problems of reproductive wastage [1,2]
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