Mycoplasma in the uterine cervix

Abstract

A study of Mycoplasma in the uterine cervix was made on 2 groups of 150 women each. One group consisted of women attending a venereal disease clinic; the other of participants of a family planning clinic. Ages ranged from 16 to 61 years in the venereal disease group and 15 to 45 years in the family planning women. Both groups were from lower income family units and of similar ethnic background. The prevalence of Mycoplasma in the cervix was 92 per cent in the venereal disease group, as compared to 38 per cent in the family planning group. Mycoplasma hominis, type 1 was the predominant species of mycoplasma isolated from both groups. Within either the venereal disease or family planning group, age, phase of the menstrual cycle, type of contraception, or non-Mycoplasma genitourinary tract infections did not significantly relate to the prevalence of cervical Mycoplasma. Mycoplasma isolations did not relate to cytologic evidence of premalignant or malignant alteration of cervical cells in either group of women. Coccoid bodies associated with the cytoplasm of squamous cells were present in cervical smears from about 50 per cent of women yielding M. hominis as opposed to about 10 per cent of women not yielding Mycoplasma.