The distribution of complement-fixing antibody and growth-inhibiting antibody to Mycoplasma hominis

Abstract

Sera from 3163 patients were examined for growth-inhibiting and complement-fixing antibody to Mycoplasma hominis. The results were analysed in respect of the age and sex of the patients. Antibodies were found to be uncommon in young people but increased in frequency with age; they were present in old men but were less common in women over sixty-five. Patients attending V.D. clinics and prison inmates had a much higher incidence of antibody than hospital and ante-natal patients. Complement-fixing antibody was approximately three times as common as growth-inhibiting antibody in the sample examined; it was also more common in women than men but the overall incidence of growth-inhibiting antibody was the same in each sex. It was concluded that possibly growth-inhibiting antibody is produced in more severe infections and that it disappears from the serum more quickly than complement-fixing antibody.

Mycoplasma hominis in pregnancy

“…The frequency of antibody in this group is the same as in a much larger series of antenatal patients attending several hospitals (Jones and Sequeira, 1966). In the 25 patients followed up after delivery, 11 had no antibody when seen at the booking clinic or six weeks after delivery; from nine of these patients M. hominis was not isolated.…”

“…In this latter case the foetal tissues were available for culture but M. hominis was not grown, and there was no maternal antibody response. Occasionally abortion is accompanied by maternal *antibody response to M. hominis and the foetus also may become infected (Jones, 1967).…”

“…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.…”

“…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). The incidence of antibody to M. hominis in the general female population has been shown to increase with age through the reproductive years (Jones and Sequeira, 1966 Received for publication 17 March 1967. 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).…”

“…The incidence of antibody to M. hominis in the general female population has been shown to increase with age through the reproductive years (Jones and Sequeira, 1966 Received for publication 17 March 1967. 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.…”