PREVALENCE OF GENITAL MYCOPLASMA AND UREAPLASMA INFECTIONS IN PREGNANCY AND THEIR EFFECT ON PREGNANCY OUTCOME

A cohort of 200 women with singleton pregnancies attending the antenat al clinic, were studied to determine the prevalence of genital mycopla sma and ureaplasma infections in pregnant women and the effect of infe ction on pregnancy outcome. Vaginal and endocervical swabs were taken at 26-30 wk and again at 36-38 wk of pregnancy and cultured for mycopl asma and ureaplasma. Forty (20%, 95% CI 14.5 - 25.6%) women were found to be infected with arginine metabolising mycoplasmas and 79 (39.5%, 95% CI 32.7 - 46.3%) with ureaplasma at either site or either time. Th e mean +/- SD birth weight of infants born to women infected with myco plasma alone was 2879 +/- 471 g while that of infants born to women in fected with ureaplasma alone was 2964 +/- 412 g. Mean +/- SD birthweig ht of infants born to women infected with both organisms was 2969 +/- 389 g while that of infants born to uninfected women was 2919 +/- 432 g. These differences were not statistically significant. The median ge station at delivery was 39 wk in the cohort; the differences among the groups were minor and statistically not significant. 'rhus, although genital mycoplasma/ureaplasma infections were frequent, no association was observed between infection and pregnancy outcome.