Chlamydia-positive Non-gonococcal Urethritis Research Articles

The value of testing urine in non-gonococcal urethritis

This audit was conducted to look into the necessity of testing urine threads, in the diagnosis of non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU). In a sample of 280 NGU cases, it was found that in 8.8% of cases there was a risk of the diagnosis being missed, should Gram-stained urethral smears be totally relied on. The study showed that examining urine threads is beneficial in diagnosing NGU, especially, in symptomatic men with negative Gram-stained urethral smears. It should be noted, however, that in the group of patients studied for this audit, urine threads testing did not detect any chlamydia-positive NGU cases.

Anaerobic bacteria in men with urethritis

Aim Investigation of the urethral flora in men with urethritis, with particular reference to anaerobic bacteria.Methods Multiple cultures were performed on three urethral samples from 110 men attending the STD Clinic of the School of Medicine in Seville: 35 with no evidence of urethritis (control group), and 75 with urethritis (17 gonococcal urethritis (GU) and 58 non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU)). In the 58 men with NGU, Chlamydia trachomatis was isolated in 16 (27.5%), Ureaplasma urealyticum in 18 (31%), Trichomonas vaginalis in two (3.4%) and no pathogens were isolated in the remaining 22 (38%) patients.Results Aerobic flora, mainly Staphylococcusspp., were isolated less frequently (41%) in patients with GU than in the control group (80%), and those with NGU (72%). Anaerobic flora were isolated in 62% of patients, with similar isolation rates in each group. Gram-negative anaerobes were more frequently isolated in men with urethritis, especially NGU, compared to controls (P<0.05). Prevotellaspp. and Bacteroidesspp. were significantly more frequently isolated in patients with NGU, including Chlamydia-negative NGU. Fusobacteriumspp. were more frequent in the Chlamydia-positive NGU than in the controls (P<0.05). P. magnus was the most frequent anaerobic species found in the control group, while P. prevotii was most frequently seen in the urethritis group. B. ureolyticus, P. prevotii and P. tetradius were more frequent on the NGU group (P<0.05). B. ureolyticus was commoner in patients with Chlamydia-negative NGU, while P. tetradius and P. asaccharolytica was commoner in those where C. trachomatis was isolated than in the control group.Conclusion Urethral microflora isolated showed ten bacterial genus and 25 different species of anaerobes. The spectrum of these microflora changed with the presence of urethritis and varied with its aetiology.

DETECTION OF MYCOPLASMA GENITALIUM IN PATIENTS WITH URETHRITIS

Purpose We attempted to detect Mycoplasma genitalium in urethral swab specimens by a polymerase chain reaction based assay to determine the prevalence of M. genitalium in patients with urethritis. Materials and Methods We examined a total of 171 Japanese men who presented to our hospital from February 1995 through January 1997. Of these men 150 had symptoms and signs compatible with acute urethritis and 21 had no symptoms or signs of urethritis. Urethral swab specimens were used to culture Neisseria gonorrhoeae, to detect Chlamydia trachomatis by an enzyme immunoassay and to detect M. genitalium by a polymerase chain reaction based assay. Results Gonococcal urethritis was diagnosed in 74 symptomatic men, and nongonococcal urethritis was diagnosed in 76 symptomatic men. Of the 74 cases of gonococcal urethritis 3 (4.1%) were positive for M. genitalium, and 14 (18.9%) were positive for C. trachomatis. Of the 76 cases of nongonococcal urethritis 10 (13.2%) were positive for M. genitalium, and 42 (55.2%) were positive for C. trachomatis. While only 1 of the 42 cases with chlamydial nongonococcal urethritis (2.4%) was positive for M. genitalium, 9 of the 34 chlamydia negative nongonococcal urethritis cases (26.5%) were positive for the mycoplasma. In contrast, all 21 cases men were negative for N. gonorrhoeae, M. genitalium, and C. trachomatis. Conclusions The prevalences of M. genitalium in patients with gonococcal urethritis and nongonococcal urethritis who attended our clinic were 4.1 and 13.2%, respectively. M. genitalium was detected significantly more often in men with nongonococcal urethritis than in asymptomatic men. In addition, its prevalence in men with chlamydia negative nongonococcal urethritis (26.5%) was significantly greater than in those with chlamydia positive nongonococcal urethritis (2.4%). These findings suggest that M. genitalium may be associated with the development of nongonococcal urethritis independent of C. trachomatis.

Urethral lymphocyte isolation in non-gonococcal urethritis.

A pilot feasibility study to investigate the local immune response in patients with non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU). Urethral lymphocytes were extracted from first void urine (FVU) of patients with non-gonococcal urethritis and gonorrhoea using magnetic beads coated with antibody against either the pan-T cell marker CD2 or to CD4. The CD2+ and CD4+ lymphocyte content of FVU were compared between chlamydia-positive and chlamydia-negative and between first and subsequent attacks of NGU. Median CD2+ lymphocyte content of FVU was significantly higher in cases of gonorrhoea and chlamydia-positive urethritis than in chlamydia-negative NGU. Median CD2+ lymphocyte content of FVU in chlamydia-negative NGU was 15.6 x 10(4), (n = 14 range 3.2-111) which was significantly lower than in chlamydia positive NGU (35.2 x 10(4), n = 18, range 7.4-390 p = 0.037) and gonorrhoea (67.7 x 10(4), n = 8 range 13-501, p = 0.019). Comparing the first with subsequent attacks of NGU, CD2+ cell numbers were greater in those presenting with their first episode of chlamydia-negative NGU (21.8 x 10(4), range 5.6-111) compared with those who had experienced NGU before (12.3 x 10(4), range 3.2-20.4, p = 0.033), but not in those presenting with chlamydia-positive NGU. There was no difference in CD4+ cells between any of the groups. The lower total lymphocyte content of subsequent attacks of chlamydia-negative NGU compared with the first attack chlamydia-positive and negative NGU suggests that a different aetiology may be operating in some of these patients. Sufficient lymphocytes can be isolated from the urethra in patients with NGU for studies of lymphocyte subsets to be carried out.

Detection of Mycoplasma genitalium from male patients with non-gonococcal urethritis by polymerase chain reaction

Mycoplasma genitalium causes urethritis in non-human primates, but studies on its pathogenicity in man have been hampered by the difficulty in isolating this oragnism in culture. We have used a specific polymerase chain reaction to examine the role of M. genitalium in non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU). Oligonucleotide primers were used to amplify a 281 bp of 140-KDa adhesin gene of M. genitalium. A characteristic PCR product was amplified, when M. genitalium DNA was template for the PCR. No amplified product was detected in Mycoplasma pneumoniae DNA, Mycoplasma hominis DNA or other bacterial DNAs. M. genitalium DNA was detected in urethral swabs from 17 (14.9%) of 114 men with NGU. Three (9.1%) of the 33 men with Chlamydia-positive NGU and 14 (17.3%) of the 81 with Chlamydia-negative NGU were positive for M. genitalium DNA, but 29 men without urethritis were negative. The prevalence of M. genitalium in NGU and in Chlamydia-negative NGU was significantly higher than that in the normal control. These findings suggest that M. genitalium would be a cause of NGU.

Chemotactic Activity of Urethral Secretions in Men with Urethritis and the Effect of Treatment

The chemotactic activity of urethral exudate and the effect of treatment were assessed in 67 patients with nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) or gonorrhea. All samples demonstrated chemotactic activity related to the number of neutrophils seen on Gram's staining of the urethral smear. Chemotactic activity decreased after treatment in patients with Chlamydia-positive NGU (mean +/- SE, 21.1 +/- 2.7 cells/high-power field [hpf] before treatment; 8.7 +/- 2.2 after treatment; P < .004) and gonorrhea (25.6 +/- 5.2 cells/hpf before treatment; 1.6 +/- 0.7 after treatment; P < .015). Chemotactic activity increased again in Chlamydia-positive NGU patients to 21.0 +/- 3.3 cells/hpf (P < .05) 2-3 weeks after cessation of therapy in the absence of demonstrable infection or further intercourse. There was no significant decrease in chemotactic activity after therapy in the Chlamydia-negative NGU or persistent urethritis groups. These data suggest a previously unrecognized persistent chemotactic stimulus in urethral exudate from patients with urethritis.

Examination of men with nongonococcal urethritis and their sexual partners for Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum.

Chlamydia trachomatis was recovered from 39 (52%) of 75 men who had nongonococcal urethritis and from 28 (37%) of their sexual partners. Of the partners of men with Chlamydia-positive nongonococcal urethritis, 64% excreted Chlamydia, compared with 8% of the partners of men with Chlamydia-negative nongonococcal urethritis. In contrast, an apparently sexual mode of transmission was not observed with Ureaplasma urealyticum. Rates of recovery of U. urealyticum from men with nongonococcal urethritis whose cultures were Chlamydia-positive and those whose cultures were Chlamydia-negative were the same. Significant seroconversion was detected bythe single-antigen immunofluorescence test in about 50% of patients who had Chlamydia-postive cultures.

Etiology of nongonococcal urethritis. Evidence for Chlamydia trachomatis and Ureaplasma urealyticum.

Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum (T-mycoplasma), and Hemophilus vaginalis have previously been considered possible etiological agents in nongonococcal urethritis (NGU). In this study, current C. trachomatis infection was confirmed by culture and (or) micro-immunofluorescence serology in 26 of 69 men experiencing afirst episode of NGU, and 1 of 39 with no urethritis. Serum IgM immunofluorescent antibody to chlamydia was demonstrated in 16 of 20 men with chlamydia culture positive NGU, and 3 of 39 with chlamydia culture negative NG, and none of 34 with no urethritis. 9 of 10 culture positive men with less than or equal to 10 days symptoms developed immunofluorescent antibody seroconversion in paired sera. U. realyticum was isolated significantly more often and in significantly higher concentration from first voided urine from chlamydia-negative cases of NGU than from chlamydia-positive NGU. Ureaplasmacidal antibody titers increased fourfold in six men, four of whom had negative cultures for for unreaplasma. H. vaginalis was isolated from c9 of 33 men with no urethritis and 2 of 69 with NGU. C. trachomatis is susceptible, and U. urealyticum is resistant to sulfonamides. A 10-day course of sulfisoxazole therapy produced improvement in 13 of 13 chlamydia-positive, unreaplasma-negative, and only 14 of 29 chlamydia-negative, unreaplasma-positive NGU cases (P less than 0.002). Thus, culture, serology, and response to therapy support the etiologic role of chlamydia in NGU. Quantitative culture and response to therapy suggest U. unrealyticum may cause many cases of chlamydia-netative NGU.