Broadly reactive immunofluorescence test for measurement of immunoglobulin M and G antibodies to Ureaplasma urealyticum in infant and adult sera.

The indirect immunofluorescence test was used to measure immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibodies to acetone-fixed Ureaplasma urealyticum organisms in sera from 128 adults with genital infections and from 713 symptomatic newborns and babies 1 day to 18 months old. Thirty-four percent of the adults had demonstrable IgG antibody to ureaplasma. IgM antibody was detected in 2 of the adult sera and in 17 of the infant sera. These babies were divided into two distinct groups. Ten of the infants presented at birth with various physical findings, whereas the onset of symptoms for the other 7 occurred 3 to 13 weeks after birth, and the major clinical finding in 6 of the 7 was respiratory distress. The results of this study suggested that U. urealyticum infection may be associated with fetal damage and infant pneumonia, and if this is substantiated, the indirect immunofluorescence test employing acetone-fixed antigen to measure IgM antibody to U. urealyticum may be an important diagnostic tool.