Prevalence of genital Mycoplasma and response to eradication treatment in patients undergoing assisted reproductive techniques.

OBJECTIVE: Several studies have reported greater success of fertilisation by ART in couples who were not infected by Ureaplasma. Increased semen quality and better results have also been observed in couples who were treated with antibiotics to eradicate the infection. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of genital mycoplasmas in urine samples from male partners enrolled in the Assisted Reproduction Program (ARP) in our healthcare area so that, positive cases can be treated prior to the use of ART in order to increase the quality of semen, improve the embryo implantation rates and minimize the risk of adverse effects during pregnancy. METHODS: This study included couples enrolled in the ARP during 2016. Mycoplasma detection was made using real-time PCR. In positive cases, both members of the couple were treated with antibiotics until eradication of the microorganism. The antibiotics used were: azithromycin, doxycycline, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and clindamycin. RESULTS: Of the 205 men studied, 33 were positive: Ureaplasma urealyticum 15.1%, Mycoplasma hominis 3.9%. Eradication treatment with azithromycin failed in 50% compared to 10.2% for doxycycline. Of the 5 cases treated with levofloxacin, only 2 achieved elimination of U. urealyticum. CONCLUSIONS: We consider that genital mycoplasma routine screening could be useful in order to increase the quality of semen which could simplify the in vitro fertilisation procedures and raise the success rate of embryo implantation and pregnancy, especially when fast, sensitive and specific technics as real time PCR are used.

Deployment of Transchromosomal Bovine for Personalized Antimicrobial Therapy.

For decades, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has provided safe and effective therapy for immunodeficient patients. This proof-of-principle study describes a novel approach to generate personalized IVIg for chronic, antibiotic-resistant infection in real time.

Epidemiological investigation and antimicrobial susceptibility analysis of ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis in outpatients with genital manifestations.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and drug resistance of Ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis in outpatients with genital manifestation from 2005 to 2013 in Hangzhou, China. METHODS: A total of 2689 female and 2336 male patients with various genital symptoms were included in this study. Species identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test were performed by using the mycoplasma IST-2 kit. RESULTS: The prevalence rate of Ureaplasma species was 39.9%, M hominis was 1.2% in female patients, and the coinfection rate was 13.4%; while in males, the prevalence rate of Ureaplasma species was 18.8%, M hominis was 0.4%, and the coinfection rate was 2.9%. Moreover, significantly high positive rates for mycoplasmas (Ureaplasma species M hominis) and were found in 16­20-year-old females (65.2%) and males (27.3%). Ureaplasma species and M hominis displayed relatively lower resistance rates (<5.0%) to doxycycline, josamycin, tetracycline and pristinamycin, and the resistance rates did not change during the study period, while the resistance rates of Ureaplasma species to quinolones (ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin) were much higher (>50%) and increased significantly from 2005 to 2013. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that high positive rates of Ureaplasma species and M hominis were found in young outpatients with genital symptoms, and monitoring the local drug resistance is critical for prevention of the occurrence of resistant strains.

[Antibiotic resistance as a public health problem: the case of genital mycoplasmoses]. / L'antibiotico resistenza un problema di sanità pubblica: il caso delle micoplasmosi genitali.

Antibiotic resistance is an emerging public health problem especially due to the continuous use of antibiotics that selects more aggressive and resistant species. In the present study the authors determined the antibiotic sensitivity of 128 Mycoplasma hominis strains obtained from urethral swabs of male patients (mean age 36 years). The Mycoplasma IST 2 strip was used to test antibiotic susceptibility: 88% of analysed strains were found to be resistant to erythromycin and azithromycin, 75% to clarithromycin, 50% to ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, and 12% to tetracycline. All strains were susceptible to josamycin, doxycycline and pristinamycin. Results were comparable to those of a recent study by Savarino-Mattei which also showed high resistance of M hominis to macrolide antibiotics and to ciprofloxacin and susceptibility to tetracyclines. Doxycycline is currently the antibiotic of first choice for treating M hominis infections.

Susceptibilities of Mycoplasma hominis to herbs.

To determine the susceptibilities of Mycoplasma homonis (M. hominis) to Chinese medicinal herbs in vitro, 30 clinical strains of M. hominis were isolated and identified from the clinical specimen. The susceptibilities of M. hominis to 19 herbs were determined by serial dilution methods in vitro. The results showed that M. hominis was susceptible to Radix Isatidis, Radix Angelicae Dahuricae, Cortex Phellodendri, Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, Fructus Kochiae and Herba Houttuyniae. These findings laid a foundation in treating M. hominis infection with Chinese herbs.

Prevalence and treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, and Mycoplasma hominis in patients with non-gonococcal urethritis.

The aim of present study was to evaluate the occurrence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma hominis, and Ureaplasma urealyticum in non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) and to determine the bacterial resistance to six antibiotics in order to determine the most suitable treatment strategy. A total of 50 patients were enrolled into the study. Urethral samples were taken with a dacron swab placed into urethra 2 - 3 cm in males, and vaginal samples were taken from the endocervical region in women. The patient samples that did not grow Neisseria gonorrhoeae were accepted as NGU. Direct immunofluorescence technique was used for the investigation of C. trachomatis. Mycoplasma IST was used for the isolation of M. hominis and U. urealyticum. U. urealyticum was isolated from 24 patients. Thirteen of them had only U. urealyticum, and the rest had mixed pathogen organisms (7 U. urealyticum + M. hominis; 3 U. urealyticum + C. trachomatis, and 1 U. urealyticum + M. hominis + C. trachomatis). C. trachomatis was detected in 12 patients. While 8 patients had C. trachomatis only, the rest had a mixture of the pathogen organisms listed above. Partner examinations could be performed for only 22 patients' partners. In the evaluation of antibiotic susceptibility, higher resistance was obtained against ofloxacin in U. urealyticum, and against erythromycin with M. hominis. Our results indicated that doxycycline or ofloxacin should be the first choice when empirical treatment is necessary.