McGowin Chris L, Totten Patricia A
Departments of 1 Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology.
Internal Medicine (Section of Infectious Diseases), Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans.
J Infect Dis. 2017 Jul 15;216(suppl_2):S382-S388. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jix172.
Mycoplasma genitalium is increasingly appreciated as a common cause of sexually transmitted disease syndromes, including urethritis in men and cervicitis, endometritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and possibly preterm birth, tubal factor infertility, and ectopic pregnancy in women. Despite these disease associations, which parallel those of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the mechanisms by which this pathogen elicits inflammation, causes cellular damage, and persists in its only natural host (humans) are unique and are not fully understood. The purpose of this review is to briefly provide a historical background on the discovery, microbiology, and recognition of M. genitalium as a pathogen, and then summarize the recent advances in our understanding of the molecular biology and pathogenesis of this unique urogenital organism. Collectively, the basic scientific discussions herein should provide a framework for understanding the clinical and epidemiological outcomes described in the accompanying articles in this supplemental issue.
生殖支原体日益被视为性传播疾病综合征的常见病因，包括男性尿道炎以及女性宫颈炎、子宫内膜炎、盆腔炎，还可能导致早产、输卵管因素不孕症和异位妊娠。尽管这些疾病关联与沙眼衣原体和淋病奈瑟菌相似，但这种病原体引发炎症、造成细胞损伤并在其唯一的天然宿主（人类）中持续存在的机制却是独特的，尚未完全明确。本综述的目的是简要介绍生殖支原体作为病原体的发现、微生物学及识别方面的历史背景，然后总结我们对这种独特泌尿生殖系统病原体的分子生物学和发病机制理解的最新进展。总体而言，本文的基础科学讨论应能为理解本期增刊中相关文章所述的临床和流行病学结果提供一个框架。
