Mycoplasma genitalium in non-gonococcal urethritis - a study in Swedish male STD patients

Urethral swab specimens obtained from 101 men attending an STD clinic were examined for the presence of Mycoplasma genitalium by polymerase chain reac tion (PCR) amplification. Fifty patients had non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU ), and 51 patients were included as controls without urethritis. M. genital ium DNA was detected in 13 (26%) of the urethritis patients and in 5 (10%) of the control patients (P=0.06). No patient positive for M. genitalium had a simultaneous chlamydial infection. Thus, in the 36 patients with non-chl amydial NGU, the prevalence of M. genitalium infection was 36% (P=0.007 com pared with controls). All patients with M.,genitalium positive urethritis h ad a high grade urethritis defined as >10 polymorphonuclear cells per high power microscopical field. Compared with the control group, those with M. g enitalium positive urethritis had more of ten had a history of urethritis t han had those with chlamydial NGU or those with M. genitalium negative, non -chlamydial NGU.