Ureaplasma: Current perspectives

Abstract

Ureaplasma species are the most prevalent genital Mycoplasma isolated from the urogenital tract of both men and women. Ureaplasma has 14 known serotypes and is divided into two biovars- Ureaplasma parvum and Ureaplasma urealyticum. The organism has several genes coding for surface proteins, the most important being the gene encoding the Multiple Banded Antigen (MBA). The C-terminal domain of MBA is antigenic and elicits a host antibody response. Other virulence factors include phospholipases A and C, IgA protease and urease. Besides genital tract infections and infertility, Ureaplasma is also associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and diseases in the newborn (chronic lung disease and retinopathy of prematurity). Infection produces cytokines in the amniotic fluid which initiates preterm labour. They have also been reported from renal stone and suppurative arthritis. Genital infections have also been reported with an increasing frequency in HIV-infected patients. Ureaplasma may be a candidate 'co factor' in the pathogenesis of AIDS. Culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are the mainstay of diagnosis. Commercial assays are available with improved turnaround time. Micro broth dilution is routinely used to test antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates. The organisms are tested against azithromycin, josamycin, ofloxacin and doxycycline. Resistance to macrolides, tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones have been reported. The susceptibility pattern also varies among the biovars with biovar 2 maintaining higher sensitivity rates. Prompt diagnosis and initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy is essential to prevent long term complications of Ureaplasma infections. After surveying PubMed literature using the terms 'Ureaplasma', 'Ureaplasma urealyticum' and 'Ureaplasma parvum', relevant literature were selected to provide a concise review on the recent developments.

Genomic Characterization of a Novel Gut Symbiont From the Hadal Snailfish

“…in riboflavin synthase of CML. Instead, virulence factors were absent in the CML, but common to other pathogens (Glass et al, 2000;Kannan and Baseman, 2006;Szczepanek et al, 2010;Indikova et al, 2013;Kokkayil and Dhawan, 2015) and genes involved in the generation of H 2 O 2 , which is a major mediator for Mycoplasma pathogens to cause cellular damage (Pritchard et al, 2014), were also absent in the CML. All these results indicated that "Ca.…”

What is Missing in STD Screening in Hong Kong?

“…Resistance to macrolides, tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones has been reported (Kokkayil and Dhawan, 2015). Patients with infection of U. urealyticum have been associated with low birth weight and premature delivery (Kafetzis et al, 2004).…”

Clinical significance of ureaplasmas in urogenital pathology

“…Уреаплазмы обладают IgA-протеазной активностью, разрушая иммуноглобулин А -местный защитный фактор слизистой оболочки [21].…”