Two patients with premature labour associated with Mycoplasma hominis infection

Abstract

Because several reports have suggested that bacterial vaginosis causes premature labour and early rupture of the fetal membranes, the presence of a bacterial flora that causes bacterial vaginosis is thought to be a risk factor for premature labour. The present study investigated two patients with premature delivery and intra-uterine Mycoplusmu hominis infection. In microbiological studies, Gram's staining of amniotic fluids revealed numerous neutrophils and epithelial cells but no micro-organisms. Culture of amniotic fluid before antibiotic therapy yielded only M. horninis under anaerobic conditions; aerobic culture was negative. Vaginal discharge taken on the day of delivery yielded no growth in case 1 and M. hominis and Enterucoccus fueculis in case 2. Maternal sera showed specific antibodies to M. hominis by ELISA and immunoblotting. As no possible cause of premature labour other than M. huminis infection was detected, it is concluded that the intra-uterine M. huminis infection was associated with premature labour in these patients.

Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum in patients with sterile pyuria

“…6 Intra-uterine infection with M. hominis or U. urealyticum is suspected as a cause of preterm delivery. 7,8 However, although urogenital mycoplasmas can cause different urogenital diseases, these pathogens usually escape routine microbiological investigations of urine samples due to their slow or absent growth on standard media. Elevated urine leucocyte counts in association with urogenital mycoplasmas colonization have been reported by one previous study, but data on this association are scarce.…”