Larsen Bryan, Hwang Joseph
Iowa Center for Translational and Clinical Research, Mercy Medical Center, Des Moines University, Des Moines, IA 50312, USA.
Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. 2010;2010. doi: 10.1155/2010/521921. Epub 2010 Jul 12.
Recent work on the Molicutes that associate with genital tract tissues focuses on four species that may be of interest in potential maternal, fetal, and neonatal infection and in contributing to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum have historically been the subject of attention, but Mycoplasma genitalis which causes male urethritis in addition to colonizing the female genital tract and the division of Ureaplasma into two species, urealyticum and parvum, has also added new taxonomic clarity. The role of these genital tract inhabitants in infection during pregnancy and their ability to invade and infect placental and fetal tissue is discussed. In particular, the role of some of these organisms in prematurity may be mechanistically related to their ability to induce inflammatory cytokines, thereby triggering pathways leading to preterm labor. A review of this intensifying exploration of the mycoplasmas in relation to pregnancy yields several questions which will be important to examine in future research.
近期关于与生殖道组织相关的支原体的研究主要集中在四种支原体上,它们可能与潜在的母婴及新生儿感染有关,并可能导致不良妊娠结局。人型支原体和解脲脲原体一直以来都是研究的焦点,但生殖支原体除了在女性生殖道定植外还会引发男性尿道炎,以及解脲脲原体被分为解脲脲原体和微小脲原体这两个种,这些都进一步明确了分类。本文讨论了这些生殖道支原体在孕期感染中的作用,以及它们侵入和感染胎盘及胎儿组织的能力。特别是,其中一些微生物在早产中的作用可能与其诱导炎性细胞因子的能力存在机制上的关联,从而触发导致早产的途径。回顾这一关于支原体与妊娠关系的深入探索会产生几个问题,这些问题在未来研究中进行探讨将具有重要意义。