Genital tract colonization with Ureaplasma spp. and its association with abnormal vaginal flora

Lethal Neonatal Respiratory Failure by Perinatal Transmission of Ureaplasma Parvum after Maternal PPROM

A primiparous pregnant woman was admitted due to preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) at 27+0 week of gestational age (WGA). Conventional vaginal microbiological analysis had no pathological finding. Management decisions based on national guidelines included antenatal corticoids, tocolytics and antibiotics. Unstoppable efforts of preterm labor in 28+0 WGA and supposed amniotic infection syndrome necessitated emergency cesarean section. The preterm infant underwent NICU therapy, developed an early-onset neonatal sepsis and therapy-refractory pulmonary insufficiency with consecutive right heart failure, resulting in death on the 36^th day of life. Microbiota analyses by 16Sr DNA sequencing was performed from maternal vaginal swabs and from neonatal pharyngeal swabs. Maternal antibiotic treatment resulted in depletion of physiological vaginal colonization with Lactobacillus crispatus. Ureaplasma parvum became the dominant vaginal microorganism at delivery and was detected in high relative abundance in the neonatal specimen. Progressive radiological air-space changes and interstitial pathologies associated with Ureaplasma infection (bronchopulmonary dysplasia type III) were seen early at the 3^rd and distinctly from 14^th day of life. This clearly demonstrates the need of vaginal colonization diagnostics in PPROM patients and awareness of the consecutive risks in the preterm. Vaginal microbiome analysis may allow individualized and targeted maternal and fetal diagnostic, prophylactic and therapeutic strategies to identify, protect and treat the high-risk neonates after PPROM.

Molecular epidemiology of bacterial vaginosis and its association with genital micro-organisms in asymptomatic women

Introduction. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is dysbiosis associated with an increased risk of several sexually transmitted infections. It is primarily diagnosed via Gram staining, although molecular analyses have presented higher diagnostic accuracy.Aim. This study aimed to evaluate the molecular epidemiology of BV in asymptomatic women to determine its association with several commensal and pathogenic micro-organisms of the genitalia.Methodology. The prevalence of BV was investigated through semiquantitative assessment of 201 women recruited during their routine gynaecological inspection at an outpatient clinic in Tabasco, Mexico.Results. Women with BV showed an increased prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis (P=0.021) and Mycoplasma hominis (P=0.001). Of the BV-associated micro-organisms, Gardnerella vaginalis was significantly associated with C. trachomatis (P=0.005) and/or Ureaplasma parvum (P=0.003), whereas Atopobium vaginae and Megasphaera type 1 correlated significantly with Mycoplasma hominis (P=0.001). No significant association was observed between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and BV, although there was increased prevalence of HPV59, HPV73, HPV52 and HPV58 in women displaying cervical cytological abnormalities.Conclusion. Identification of BV-associated micro-organisms via molecular analysis may help to distinguish recurrent cases from new infections and identify micro-organisms potentially associated with pharmacological resistance.

Association Analysis on Recurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis Revealed Microbes and Clinical Variables Important for Treatment Outcome

To investigate the parameters associated with post-treatment recurrence of bacterial vaginosis (BV), clinical factors and vaginal microbiota were examined and analyzed for BV patients who received standard metronidazole therapy. The variables associated with BV recurrence included clinical factors of past BV history, use of intravaginal device, and D7 Nugent score as well as many microbial genera, with Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Ureaplasma, and Aerococcus being the top contributors. Co-occurrence network analysis showed that whereas overwhelming majority of interbacterial interactions were positive, negative interactions were present and connected mostly to Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, and to a less extent Ureaplasma, suggesting the importance of interbacterial antagonism for treatment outcome. The patients who were cured and recurrent also exhibited clear differences in the species composition of Lactobacillus: although L. iners remained the dominant species at all time points, L. crispatus, L. gasseri, and L. jensenii displayed apparent differences in relative abundance between the cure and recurrent groups. Based on these results, we developed a 5-component panel comprising Enterococcus, L. crispatus, Ureaplasma, Aerococcus, and L. jensenii for predicting recurrence using D7 data and showed that it generated the specificity, sensitivity, and AUC values of 0.80, 0.66, and 0.73 for the discovery cohort and 0.80, 0.67, and 0.69 for the validation cohort. Our findings highlighted key microbial components for BV recurrence and suggested that they could be used to monitor the treatment outcome.

Sexually transmitted agents and their association with leucocytospermia in infertility clinic patients

In this study, the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma urealyticum and Ureaplasma parvumDNA were investigated using real-time multiplex PCR detection kit in the urine samples of 50 patients who presented to the infertility polyclinic. Patients were classified into two groups in accordance with the WHO leucocytospermia criteria as over 1 × 10⁶ /ml (n = 25) and below 1 × 10⁶ /ml (controls; n = 25). In addition, the semen sample results of the patients were evaluated. The mean leucocyte count in the leucocytospermia group was detected as 3.4 × 10⁶ /ml. Agent positivity was found in 12 of 25 patients in the leucocytospermia group (U. parvum 10, U. urealyticum 3, M. hominis 3) and 9 of 25 patients in the control group (U. parvum 7, U. urealyticum 2, M. hominis 1). A chi-square test evaluation revealed no statistically significant difference between groups. (p = 0.390). The statistical evaluation using the Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests revealed no statistically significant negative effect of agent positivity on semen analysis parameters in either group (p > 0.05). Although no significant difference was detected between the groups, this study provides data about the prevalence of asymptomatic sexually transmitted diseases in patients presenting to the infertility polyclinic.

The Human Ureaplasma Species as Causative Agents of Chorioamnionitis

The human Ureaplasma species are the most frequently isolated microorganisms from the amniotic fluid and placentae of women who deliver preterm and are also associated with spontaneous abortions or miscarriages, neonatal respiratory diseases, and chorioamnionitis. Despite the fact that these microorganisms have been habitually found within placentae of pregnancies with chorioamnionitis, the role of Ureaplasma species as a causative agent has not been satisfactorily explained. There is also controversy surrounding their role in disease, particularly as not all women infected with Ureaplasma spp. develop chorioamnionitis. In this review, we provide evidence that Ureaplasma spp. are associated with diseases of pregnancy and discuss recent findings which demonstrate that Ureaplasma spp. are associated with chorioamnionitis, regardless of gestational age at the time of delivery. Here, we also discuss the proposed major virulence factors of Ureaplasma spp., with a focus on the multiple-banded antigen (MBA), which may facilitate modulation/alteration of the host immune response and potentially explain why only subpopulations of infected women experience adverse pregnancy outcomes. The information presented within this review confirms that Ureaplasma spp. are not simply "innocent bystanders" in disease and highlights that these microorganisms are an often underestimated pathogen of pregnancy.

Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma spp., Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma hominis among outpatients in central Greece: absence of tetracycline resistance gene tet(M) over a 4-year period study

A total of 301 men and women attending local urologists and gynaecologists in the state of Thessaly, central Greece, were tested for Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma spp., Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma hominis DNA. Investigation of the tet(M) gene, which confers tetracycline resistance in these genera, was also performed. Low incidence of C. trachomatis and Mycoplasma spp. as well as high prevalence of Ureaplasma spp., especially among women, were found. The tet(M) gene was absent in all cases, notably in a region where doxycycline administration remains the first therapeutic option unless special medical conditions direct otherwise.