Comparison of Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay with Culture for Detection of Genital Mycoplasmas in Perinatal Infections

Abstract

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was compared with culture for the detection of Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, and Mycoplasma genitalium in clinical samples (vaginal secretions, throat and endotracheal secretions, and skin swabs) obtained from 47 high-risk pregnant women peripartum and eight newborn infants. Detection using PCR with homologous primers was highly specific, as a product with the expected length was consistently amplified with homologous but not with heterologous species. The limit of detection of the PCR assay was 10 color-changing units (CCU) of Mycoplasma strains. The PCR technique facilitated detection of Ureaplasma urealyticum DNA in 31 of 55 patients studied, of Mycoplasma hominis in seven samples, and of Mycoplasma genitalium in two samples. Four PCR-positive patients yielded culture-negative results. In one case a culture-positive sample was negative by PCR. The results show that PCR is a valuable tool for rapid detection of genital mycoplasmas in clinical samples. It is fast, sensitive, specific, and easy to perform, requiring minimal preparation of the clinical sample.

PCR versus culture in the detection of vaginalUreaplasma urealyticumandMycoplasma hominis

“…DNA was extracted from clinical specimens as described by Luki and coinvestigators [1] and PCR was performed as described by Blanchard and coinvestigators [2,3]. In a separate reaction, each DNA sample was tested using an internal control to determine if amplification inhibitors were present.…”

2016 European guideline on Mycoplasma genitalium infections

“…Oral‐genital contact is less likely to contribute to any significant extent, as carriage of M. genitalium in the oro‐pharynx is low . Mother‐to‐child transmission at birth has not been systematically studied, but M. genitalium has been detected in the respiratory tract of newborn children . The risk of contracting M. genitalium per sexual encounter has not been determined, but because M. genitalium is present in lower concentration in genital tract specimens than C. trachomatis , it could be considered slightly less contagious than chlamydia.…”

Simultaneous and rapid differential diagnosis of Mycoplasma genitalium and Ureaplasma urealyticum based on a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism

“…The results of this study are very similar to those of Luki et al, who used conventional PCR to detect mycoplasmosis in pregnant women and found 56.3% U. urealyticum and 3.6% M. genitalium. [17] The minute difference in the results of these two studies may be due to the number of samples, type of subjects (pregnant vs. nonpregnant and clinical symptoms) and the target specificities of the primers used for the amplification reactions.…”