ASSOCIATION OF UREAPLASMA-UREALYTICUM BIOVARS WITH CLINICAL OUTCOME FOR NEONATES, OBSTETRIC PATIENTS, AND GYNECOLOGICAL PATIENTS WITH PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE

In this prospective study, the prevalence of the two Ureaplasma urealy ticum biovars, parvo and T960, was determined in pregnant women and in gynecological patients colonized by ureaplasmas, Furthermore, we inve stigated the association of these biovars with gynecological complicat ions and adverse pregnancy outcome, Isolates of U. urealyticum from 25 4 women were biotyped by a PCR method recently developed, The parvo bi ovar was found in 81% (206 of 254) of the patients, and the T960 biova r was found in 30% (76 of 254) of the patients; 6% (13 of 254) of the women were coinfected, Identical biovars were detected in mothers and their infants, Serial isolations or cultures from different sampling s ites of the same individual revealed the same biovar, T960 was dominan t in patients with pelvic inflammatory disease (57%) and patients who had had a miscarriage (42%), showed a higher rate of tetracycline resi stance than did parvo isolates (55 versus 18%), and seemed to have mor e adverse effects on pregnancy outcome with regard to birth weight (2, 500 versus 1,720 g), gestational age (35 versus 30 weeks), and preterm delivery (35 versus 77%).