eMedicine Specialties > Infectious Diseases > Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Ureaplasma Infection: Follow-up

Author: Ken B Waites, MD, Director of Clinical Microbiology, Professor, Department of Pathology, Division of Laboratory Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Nov 17, 2009

Follow-up

Deterrence/Prevention

  • Because of the frequency with which genital Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma organisms are carried in the lower urogenital tract in persons who are asymptomatic and sexually active, use of barrier protection methods (eg, condoms) is of little benefit because the organisms most often act as opportunistic normal florae.
  • Delivery of infants by cesarean delivery has not prevented colonization in the lower respiratory tract because acquisition of the organisms can occur in utero by ascending infection, even through intact fetal membranes.
  • Although no systematic studies have been performed, the epidemiology of these organisms suggests that persons who are sexually inactive do not usually harbor them and, therefore, cannot be expected to develop clinically significant infections. Abstinence may prevent spread of the organisms among adolescents and adults.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • In general, infection with Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma species is limited to mucosal surfaces of the lower urogenital tract. In otherwise healthy persons, these infections are associated with relatively low morbidity rates. However, in individuals who are immunosuppressed, including preterm neonates, invasive infections of various organ systems can occur, including bones, joints, and the CNS. Failure to properly diagnose such systemic infections and to administer appropriate antimicrobial therapy can be associated with poor outcomes and chronic debilitation.
 


More on Ureaplasma Infection

Overview: Ureaplasma Infection
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Ureaplasma Infection
Treatment & Medication: Ureaplasma Infection
Follow-up: Ureaplasma Infection
References
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References

  1. Waites KB, Katz B, Schelonka RL. Mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas as neonatal pathogens. Clin Microbiol Rev. Oct 2005;18(4):757-89. [Medline].

  2. Waites KB, Talkington DF. New Developments in Human Diseases Due to Mycoplasmas. In: Blanchard A, Browning G, eds. Mycoplasmas: Pathogenesis, Molecular Biology, and Emerging Strategies for Control. Norwich, United Kingdom: Horizon Bioscience; 2005:Chapter 9, pages 289-354.

  3. Webster D, Windsor H, Ling C, Windsor D, Pitcher D. Chronic bronchitis in immunocompromised patients: association with a novel Mycoplasma species. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. Sep 2003;22(9):530-4. [Medline].

  4. Jensen JS. Mycoplasma genitalium: the aetiological agent of urethritis and other sexually transmitted diseases. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. Jan 2004;18(1):1-11. [Medline].

  5. Novy MJ, Duffy L, Axthelm MK, Sadowsky DW, Witkin SS, Gravett MG, et al. Ureaplasma parvum or Mycoplasma hominis as sole pathogens cause chorioamnionitis, preterm delivery, and fetal pneumonia in rhesus macaques. Reprod Sci. Jan 2009;16(1):56-70. [Medline].

  6. Furr PM, Taylor-Robinson D, Webster AD. Mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas in patients with hypogammaglobulinaemia and their role in arthritis: microbiological observations over twenty years. Ann Rheum Dis. Mar 1994;53(3):183-7. [Medline].

  7. Waites KB, Bebear CM, Robertson JA, et al. Laboratory Diagnosis of Mycoplasmal Infections. Cumulative Techniques and Procedures in Clinical Microbiology, ASM Press. 2001.

  8. Beeton ML, Chalker VJ, Maxwell NC, Kotecha S, Spiller OB. Concurrent titration and determination of antibiotic resistance in ureaplasma species with identification of novel point mutations in genes associated with resistance. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. May 2009;53(5):2020-7. [Medline].

  9. Bebear CM, Renaudin H, Charron A, Gruson D, Lefrancois M, Bebear C. In vitro activity of trovafloxacin compared to those of five antimicrobials against mycoplasmas including Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates that have been genetically characterized. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. Sep 2000;44(9):2557-60. [Medline].

  10. Duffy L, Glass J, Hall G, Avery R, Rackley R, Peterson S, et al. Fluoroquinolone resistance in Ureaplasma parvum in the United States. J Clin Microbiol. Apr 2006;44(4):1590-1. [Medline].

  11. Waites KB, Sims PJ, Crouse DT, Geerts MH, Shoup RE, Hamrick WB, et al. Serum concentrations of erythromycin after intravenous infusion in preterm neonates treated for Ureaplasma urealyticum infection. Pediatr Infect Dis J. Apr 1994;13(4):287-93. [Medline].

  12. Bradshaw CS, Jensen JS, Tabrizi SN, Read TR, Garland SM, Hopkins CA, et al. Azithromycin failure in Mycoplasma genitalium urethritis. Emerg Infect Dis. Jul 2006;12(7):1149-52. [Medline].

  13. Schelonka RL, Katz B, Waites KB, Benjamin DK Jr. Critical appraisal of the role of Ureaplasma in the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia with metaanalytic techniques. Pediatr Infect Dis J. Dec 2005;24(12):1033-9. [Medline].

  14. Waites KB, Crouse DT, Cassell GH. Therapeutic considerations for Ureaplasma urealyticum infections in neonates. Clin Infect Dis. Aug 1993;17 Suppl 1:S208-14. [Medline].

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Further Reading

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Keywords

infection, mycoplasma, genital mycoplasmal organisms, ureaplasmas, ureaplasmal infection

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Ken B Waites, MD, Director of Clinical Microbiology, Professor, Department of Pathology, Division of Laboratory Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Ken B Waites, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Society of America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Gary L Gorby, MD, Program Director of Adult Infectious Diseases Fellowship, Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, St Joseph Medical Center, Creighton University School of Medicine
Gary L Gorby, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Medical Association, American Society for Microbiology, Infectious Diseases Society of America, and New York Academy of Sciences
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Managing Editor

Richard B Brown, MD, FACP, Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baystate Medical Center; Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
Richard B Brown, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, American Society for Microbiology, Infectious Diseases Society of America, and Massachusetts Medical Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD, Clinical and Research Fellow, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital
Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Physicians, American Society for Microbiology, and Infectious Diseases Society of America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Burke A Cunha, MD, Professor of Medicine, State University of New York School of Medicine at Stony Brook; Chief, Infectious Disease Division, Winthrop-University Hospital
Burke A Cunha, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, and Infectious Diseases Society of America
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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