Dirks Jeanne A M C, van Loo Inge H M, Dukers-Muijrers Nicole H T M, Wolffs Petra F G, Hoebe Christian J P A
From the Department of Medical Microbiology, Infectious Diseases & Infection Prevention, Maastricht University Medical Center, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Maastricht.
Sex Transm Dis. 2023 Mar 1;50(3):157-160. doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001752. Epub 2022 Dec 5.
Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) is associated with urethritis in men and weakly associated with pelvic inflammatory disease in women. Mycoplasma genitalium coinfections with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) are commonly reported; however, little is known about their interaction. One study suggested that MG/NG coinfections might increase the bacterial load of NG, which has been shown to have a higher transmission potential. As even less is known about the impact of a simultaneous MG/CT infection, we assessed whether patients with urogenital MG/CT coinfections have a higher bacterial load than patients with a single infection.
There were 1673 urogenital samples from patients from a population-based chlamydia study, and our sexually transmitted infection clinic tested for both CT and MG. When positive, the load was quantified. Nonparametric tests compared the CT and MG load, and linear regression analyses tested the association of the CT and MG load within a patient.
In 60 MG-positive patients, MG load ranged from 1.7 to 6.0 log10 copies/ml, similar to the CT load distribution. Only 6 patients were MG-positive and CT-negative, but the MG load distribution was similar to that of CT-positive patients (n.s.). The MG and CT load was unrelated in coinfected persons (n.s.).
We found no correlation between the CT and MG load in urogenital samples, and the MG load distribution was similar in CT-positive and CT-negative patients. These results could have implications for the transmission risk of these infections.
生殖支原体（MG）与男性尿道炎相关，与女性盆腔炎的关联较弱。生殖支原体与淋病奈瑟菌（NG）和沙眼衣原体（CT）的合并感染较为常见；然而，它们之间的相互作用却知之甚少。一项研究表明，MG/NG合并感染可能会增加NG的细菌载量，而NG已被证明具有更高的传播潜力。由于对于同时发生的MG/CT感染的影响了解更少，我们评估了泌尿生殖系统MG/CT合并感染的患者是否比单一感染的患者具有更高的细菌载量。
从一项基于人群的衣原体研究的患者中获取了1673份泌尿生殖系统样本，我们的性传播感染诊所对CT和MG进行了检测。检测呈阳性时，对载量进行定量。采用非参数检验比较CT和MG载量，线性回归分析检验患者体内CT和MG载量的关联。
在60例MG阳性患者中，MG载量范围为1.7至6.0 log10拷贝/毫升，与CT载量分布相似。只有6例患者MG阳性且CT阴性，但其MG载量分布与CT阳性患者相似（无统计学差异）。合并感染患者的MG和CT载量无关（无统计学差异）。
我们发现泌尿生殖系统样本中CT和MG载量之间无相关性，CT阳性和CT阴性患者的MG载量分布相似。这些结果可能对这些感染的传播风险有影响。
