Frequency and antibiotic resistance of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis in genital samples of sexually active individuals

Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis have important role among the causative agents of sexually transmitted diseases. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the frequency and antibiotic resistance of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis in genital samples obtained from patients examined in the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Centre of the Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Dermatooncology, Semmelweis University, Budapest between May 1, 2008 and July 31, 2010. Patients and methods: Samples were taken from the urethra in men and from the cervix and urethra in women by universal swab (Biolab®) into Urea-Myco DUO kit (Bio-Rad®) and were incubated for 48 hours at 37 C°. Antibiotic sensitivity of positive samples was determined in U9 bouillon using SIR Mycoplasma kit (Bio-Rad®). Results: Samples for 4154 patients aged 16-60 years were examined. In 247/4154 samples (6%) U. urealyticum and in 26/4154 samples (0.63%) M. hominis was isolated from the genital tract. Most U. urealyticum and M. hominis strains (75% and 77%, respectively) were cultured from cervix, while the remaining 25%, and 23% from the male and female urethra, respectively. U. urealyticum and M. hominis were most commonly detected in patients aged between 21 and 40 years. The majority of U. urealyticum strains were sensitive to tetracycline (94%), doxycycline (95%), azithromycin (88%) and josamycin (90%), but were resistant to ofloxacin (21%), erythromycin (85%) and clindamycin (79%). Seventy-seven percent of the U. urealyticum strains were simultaneously resistant to erythromycin and clindamycin, suggesting that ex iuvantibus therapies may select cross-resistant strains to both antibiotics. The resistance of M. hominis to clindamycin, doxycycline, ofloxacin and tetracycline varied between 4% and 12 %. Conclusions: Because none of the strains was sensitive to all examined antibiotics, the antibiotic sensitivity of U. urealyticum and M. hominis strains should be determined. The high rate of ofloxacin, erythromycin and clindamycin resistance should be considered in the therapy of U. urealyticum infections in Hungary. This is the firstsuch a clinical microbiological study in this topic in Hungary. Orv. Hetil., 2011, 152, 1698–1702.