Animal ureaplasmas: their ecological niche and role in disease.

Each animal species is colonized by a restricted and characteristic group of ureaplasmas, although it can be demonstrated experimentally that host specificity is not absolute. Ureaplasmas are likely to be complicating agents in several diseases, including respiratory infections, conjunctivitis and urogenital infections; alone they can induce mild disease in the lung and conjunctiva. Ureaplasmas are commonly isolated from the urogenital tract where they have been shown to cause vulvitis. In general, attempts to relate disease to specific serotypes have not been successful.