Mycoplasma hominis in pregnancy

Abstract

SYNOPSIS One hundred and seventyone antenatal patients were examined for the presence of 'large colony' mycoplasmas in the vagina, and for complement-fixing antibody to Mycoplasma hominis. In 25 patients the findings before and after delivery were compared. In patients from whom M. hominis was grown, antibody was twice as common after delivery, and the development of antibody was sometimes associated with pyrexia and signs of genital tract infection.Mycoplasma hominis is a common inhabitant of the female genital tract. Although usually a commensal there is evidence that this organism may cause genital tract and puerperal infections accompanied by the appearance of circulating antibody (Stokes, 1955;Lemcke and Csonka, 1962 SEROLOGICAL TESTS The complement-fixation antigen was prepared by the method of Card (1959). The method of performing the complement-fixation test has been described elsewhere (Jones and Sequeira, 1966). At least one antenatal serum sample from each patient was tested at the same time as the postnatal sample. RESULTSMycoplasma hominis was cultured from the vaginal swabs of 43 out of 171 antenatal patients (2455%). Complement-fixing antibody was present in 27 (15%) and in 14 patients both antibody and M. hominis were present.Twenty-five patients selected entirely at random were followed up during pregnancy and in the postnatal clinic. Of the patients studied in this way 13 had mycoplasmas in the vagina when examined in the antenatal clinic, the remaining 12 did not. Considered as two groups, the results obtained are shown in Tables I and II. The serology and cultural results obtained at the booking clinic attendance did not differ significantly from the results obtained at about the 30th week of pregnancy.The case notes of these 25 patients were reviewed with particular reference to the occurence of pyrexia and trichomonas infection. The history of patient 13 is of sufficient interest to report in more detail.This patient was aged 21, primigravid and unmarried, and she attended the antenatal clinic for the first time when 37 weeks pregnant. At this time M. hominis was grown from the vagina but no antibodies were present. Three weeks later she was admitted in labour and her temperature rose soon after admission. She was delivered by caesarian section in view of failure to progress in labour, and the presence of intrauterine infection. A swab taken from the uterine cavity at operation yielded 633 on 13 May 2018 by guest. Protected by copyright.

Susceptibility of Genital Mycoplasmas to Antimicrobial Agents

“…Both species have been recovered from urine, vaginal secretions, and cervical exudates of women without apparent disease. The prevalence of such isolations increases with age from childhood through the childbearing age group (4, 5,7,8,15,32). Both species have been found in urine and urethral scrapings in men (4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 30, 32) without apparent disease.…”

Non-specific urethritis and the tetracyclines.

“…The following investigators have provided results that should not be overlooked in this context: Stokes (1955), Jones (1967), Tully and Smith (1968), Sepetjian, Thivolet, Monier, and Salussola (1969), Ford (1969), Mardh (1970), Mirdh andWestrom (1970), Russell and Fallon (1970), Pachas (1970), Shepard (1970), Caspi, Herczeg, Solomon, and Sompolinsky (1971), Hofstetter and Schmiedt (1972), Jansson, Vainio, Lassus, and Tuuri (1972), Hill, Philip, Greaves, and Purcell (1973), McChesney, Zedd, King, Russell, and Hendley (1973), McCormack, Braun, Lee, Klein, and Kass (1973, Kundsin, Parreno, and Kirsch (1973), Boe, Diderichsen, and Matre (1973), Sompolinsky and others (1973), Wentworth and others (1973). In severe disease and in septicaemic conditions, Solomon, Caspi, Bukovsky, and Sompolinsky (1973) isolated M. hominis more commonly than T-strain.…”