Prevalence survey on condom use and infection of urogenital mycoplasmas in female sex workers in China

Abstract

Goal We evaluated the prevalence of condom use and the effects of condom use on urogenital mycoplasma infection in female sex workers in Jinjiang, China. Methods Two-hundred ninety-nine female sex workers from Jinjiang city, Jiangsu Province, were interviewed, and three mycoplasmas of Ureaplasma urealyticum ( Uu), Mycoplasma hominis ( Mh) and Mycoplasma genitalium ( Mg) were detected by nested polymerase chain reaction in genital secretions of 72 female sex workers and 42 female patients seen with symptoms of genital infection (control group). Results The results showed that 87.29% of the sex workers used condom in their last sexual intercourse, and that 2.68% did not use, 38.80% sometimes used and 58.52% used condoms every time in the last month. Those who were older, married and have a stable partnership used condoms less frequently. The infection rates of Uu, Mh and Mg were 77.78%, 34.72% and 16.67%, respectively, in sex worker subjects compared to those of controls at 59.52%, 9.62% and 21.43%, respectively. The infection rates of Uu and Mg were lower among all subjects (NS) who used condoms every time. In this observational study, genital mycoplasma infection was common and occurred more frequently among sex workers, and infection occurred less often when condoms were used. These results tend to support the efficacy of condom use in reducing urogenital mycoplasma infection among Chinese women.