Urogenital Mycoplasma Infections

Abstract

Class Mollicutes includes organisms in the genera Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma. They are prokaryotes that lack a cell wall and are among the smallest known living organisms both in cellular dimension and genome size. At least 17 different species inhabit the mucosae of the respiratory and urogenital tracts of humans, several of which are pathogenic in a variety of clinical illnesses. Their fastidious nature and often slow growth in vitro has hampered understanding of their roles as agents of human disease. Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma spp. have been recognized as causes of various pelvic inflammatory syndromes in women and systemic illnesses in immunocompromised persons, and U. urealyticum has been identified as a potential cause of urethritis in men. The appreciation of Mycoplasma genitalium as an important cause of inflammatory urogenital syndromes in men and women has come about over the past decade as a result of the advancement of molecular methods for its detection. Development of resistance to macrolides and fluoroquinolones in M. genitalium has made management of these infections more challenging. This review provides an update on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, disease spectrum, diagnosis, and treatment of urogenital and/or systemic infections caused by these organisms. This review contains 1 figure, 2 tables and 97 references Key Words: Antimicrobial Resistance, Inflammation, Mycoplasma, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Ureaplasma