Prevalence of endocervical genital mycoplasmas and chlamydia trachomatis in infertile, abortive and pregnant women in Alexandria

ABSTRACT

Several isolation studies have been carried out in several parts of the world, but none in our country, to determine the incidence of genital mycoplasma colonization in different sites and in various defined groups in attempts to study the role of these organisms in reproductive failure with more precision. Similarly, this study was designed to subject 300 endocervical specimens obtained from Egyptian females in the fertile age [100 represented the infertile group, 100 the abortive group and 100 pregnant women, the control group] to culture procedures for isolation of genital mycoplasmas and Chlamydia trachomatis. Preliminary studies were performed by growing st and ard strains of genital mycoplasmas on several system media before the selection of the most appropriate ones, i.e. Difco PPLO broth and agar supplemented with gamma globulin free horse serum for isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis were inoculated into cycloheximide treated McCoy cell line and were further propagated. The results of this isolation study revealed that the differences in the frequency of isolation of both genital mycoplasmas between each of the test groups [30% for the infertile group and 35% for the abortive] and the control group [12%] were statistically significant while the differences in frequency of isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis between the same groups [7% and 5%, respectively] and the control group [3%] were not. This study also revealed a higher frequency of isolation of U urealyticum than M hominis from all groups examined. Out of the 15 cases positive for Chlamydia trachomatis 9 were also positive for genital mycoplasmas [60%]. This was a relatively high rate of association not commonly encountered in Gynecology and Obstetric Departments but probably expected in VD clinics