Romo Matthew L, Moreland Sarah C, Yates Adam M, Crowell Trevor A, Sevilla Maureen, MacArthur John L, Faestel Paul, Kunz Anjali, Ake Julie A, Calvano Tatjana, Colby Donn J
Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Liberty, NC.
Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA.
Sex Transm Dis. 2024 May 1;51(5):367-373. doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001947. Epub 2024 Feb 10.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have a high incidence in the US Armed Forces and can adversely impact service members' ability to perform their duties. Better knowledge of Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) epidemiology in the military is needed to understand the potential impact of this emerging pathogen on force readiness.
We conducted cross-sectional analyses of data from US Army service members and other Military Health System beneficiaries participating in a trial of an STI/HIV behavioral intervention at Fort Liberty, NC, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. At enrollment, participants completed questionnaires and provided biological specimens for nucleic acid amplification testing for MG, Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG). We used principal component analysis and robust Poisson regression to examine associations between participant characteristics and prevalent urogenital MG.
Among 432 participants enrolled between November 2020 and February 2023, 43 had MG (prevalence, 10.0%), of whom 13 had coinfection with another bacterial STI (all 13 were positive for CT, with 1 also positive for NG). The prevalence of MG was significantly higher among female (13.5%) versus male (7.6%; P = 0.048) participants and non-Hispanic Black (14.9%) versus non-Hispanic White participants (6.6%; P = 0.045). Single relationship status and increased number of recent sexual partners were correlated, and their component was associated with higher MG prevalence (adjusted prevalence ratio, 2.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-3.48).
The high prevalence of urogenital MG among Military Health System beneficiaries highlights the importance of understanding the potential clinical sequelae of MG and conducting additional epidemiologic research in military settings.
性传播感染（STIs）在美国武装部队中发病率很高，会对军人履行职责的能力产生不利影响。为了解这种新兴病原体对部队战备状态的潜在影响，需要更好地了解军队中生殖支原体（MG）的流行病学情况。
我们对来自美国陆军军人以及其他军事卫生系统受益人的数据进行了横断面分析，这些人参与了在北卡罗来纳州自由堡和华盛顿州刘易斯-麦科德联合基地进行的一项性传播感染/艾滋病毒行为干预试验。在入组时，参与者完成问卷调查，并提供生物样本用于对MG、沙眼衣原体（CT）和淋病奈瑟菌（NG）进行核酸扩增检测。我们使用主成分分析和稳健泊松回归来研究参与者特征与泌尿生殖系统MG感染率之间的关联。
在2020年11月至2023年2月期间入组的432名参与者中，43人感染了MG（感染率为10.0%），其中13人同时感染了另一种细菌性性传播感染（13人均为CT阳性，1人同时为NG阳性）。女性参与者（13.5%）的MG感染率显著高于男性参与者（7.6%；P = 0.048），非西班牙裔黑人参与者（14.9%）的MG感染率显著高于非西班牙裔白人参与者（6.6%；P = 0.045）。单一恋爱关系状态与近期性伴侣数量增加相关，其综合因素与更高的MG感染率相关（调整后的感染率比值为2.11；95%置信区间为1.29 - 3.48）。
军事卫生系统受益人中泌尿生殖系统MG的高感染率凸显了了解MG潜在临床后遗症以及在军事环境中开展更多流行病学研究的重要性。
