Title: Antibodies to Mycoplasma hominis in patients with genital infections and in healthy controls.

POPLINE Document Number: 018125

Author(s):

Mardh PA
Westrom L

Source citation:

British Journal of Venereal Diseases, 1970 Oct;46(5):390-7.

Abstract:

To examine the relationship of Mycoplasma hominis to lower genital tract (LGT) infections, 355 sera from 52 women with acute salpingitis, 70 women with infection confined to the LGT, and 154 healthy women were analyzed for antibody to M. hominis by means of the indirect hemagglutination (IHA) technique. These results were compared with the finding of M. hominis in cultures. The distribution of IHA antibody to M. hominis among women of different ages (1-73 years) was found to be highly correlated with the occurrence of the organism in the LGT and with the prevalence of genital infections. 16 of the salpingitis patients from whom more than 1 serum specimen was collected had IHA antibody to M. hominis at a titer of 1:16 or greater. The organism was isolated from the cervix in all 16 of these cases and from the fallopian tubes in 3 patients. Overall, M. hominis was isolated from 36 (69.2%) of the 52 women with acute salpingitis and 25 of them had a titer of 1:16 or more. Antibody to M. hominis was found in 59.6% of the women. Among the women with LGT infection, M. hominis was recovered from 38.6% and IHA antibody to the organism at a titer of 1:16 or greater was found in the sera of 27%. Anitbody to M. hominis was noted in 10.5% of the sera of the 57 nonpregnant healthy women of childbearing age, 8.5% of healthy pregnant women, and in none of the prepubertal or postmenopausal healthy women. The organism was isolated from 14.9% of the healthy pregnant women, but from insignificant numbers of the prepubertal, menstruating, and postmenopausal cases. Overall, M. hominis was isolated from 73 women in the study and their sera contained antibody to the organism at a titer of 1:16 or greater in 42 instances (57.7%). The corresponding figure for the 203 women from whom the organism was not cultured was 16 (7.9%). The difference between these 2 incidences was highly significant (p>0.001). Of the 16 women whose sera contained antibody to M. hominis but from whom the organism was not cultured, 8 had signs of LGT infection and 4 had a recent history of infection. Additionally, 73 sera from male venereal disease clinic patients and from healthy men were compared. Antibody to M. hominis was found in 30% of sera from the former group but in only 4% of the latter group. (summary in FRE)

Keywords:

Clinical Research
Infections
Uterus
Antibodies
Research Methodology
Diseases
Genitalia, Female
Genitalia
Urogenital System
Physiology
Biology
Immunologic Factors
Immunity
Immune System