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Koh, Kim, Kim, Maeng, and Lee: Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis in Pregnant Women
Original Article

Korean J Clin Microbiol 2009;12(4):159-162.

Published online: 22 December 2009

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2009.12.4.159

Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis in Pregnant Women

Eunha Koh1, 3, Sunjoo Kim1, 3, In-Suk Kim1, Kook-Young Maeng1, Soon-Ae Lee2, 3

1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju, Korea

2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju, Korea

3Department of Institute of Health Science, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju, Korea

Correspondence: Sunjoo Kim, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, 90, Chilam-dong, Jinju 660-702, Korea. (Tel) 82-55-750-8239, (Fax) 82-55-762-2696, (E-mail) sjkim8239@hanmail.net

Received 18 August 200916 September 2009       Accepted 28 October 2009

Copyright © 2009 Korean Journal of Clinical Microbiology

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Background

Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis are associated with an increased risk of pregnancy complications, such as preterm birth and premature membrane rupture. The purpose of this study was to determine the isolation rates and antimicrobial susceptibilities of genital mycoplasma in a sample of pregnant women from Jinju, Korea.

Methods

Vaginal swabs were obtained from 258 pregnant women between 2004 and 2008 and tested for the presence of U. urealyticum and M. hominis at Gyeongsang National University Hospital. The identification and antimicrobial susceptibilities of U. urealyticum and M. hominis were determined with a commercially available kit, the Mycoplasma IST2 Kit (bioMé-rieux, Marcy-l'Etoile, France), and evaluated according to standards set by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI).

Results

U. urealyticum only was detected in 105 specimens (38.6%), while M. hominis only was detected only in 2 specimens (1.8%). Seven specimens (6.7%) were positive both for U. urealyticum and M. hominis. Susceptibilities of U. urealyticum to azithromycin, erythromycin, clarithromycin, and doxycycline were 75.2%, 82.9%, 88.6%, and 88.6%, respectively, while almost all of the isolates were susceptible to josamycin (99.0%) and pristinamycin (100%). The susceptibility of U. urealyticum to ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin was 56.2% and 15.2%, respectively.

Conclusion

The rate of isolation of genital mycoplasma in pregnant women was 44.2% in Jinju; most of the mycoplasma were U. urealyticum. U. urealyticum and M. hominis were highly resistant to quinolones, but susceptible to josamycin. Therefore, empirical treatment without prior identification and determination of the antimicrobial susceptibility of genital mycoplasma will fail in many cases.

Keywords: Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, Genital mycoplasma, Antimicrobial susceptibilities

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Table 1.
Antimicrobial susceptibilities (%) of U. urealyticum and M. hominis from vaginal swabs
U. urealyticum (N=105) M. hominis (N=2) U. urealyticum＋M. hominis (N=7)
S I R S I R S I R
Tetracycline 81.0 7.6 11.4 50 0 50 42.9 28.6 28.6
Doxycycline 88.6 4.8 6.7 100 0 0 85.7 0 14.3
Azithromycin 75.2 18.1 6.7 0 0 100 0 0 100
Clarithromycin 88.6 2.9 8.6 0 0 100 0 0 100
Erythromycin 82.9 4.8 12.4 0 0 100 0 0 100
Josamycin 99.0 1.0 0 100 0 0 85.7 14.3 0
Ciprofloxacin 15.2 62.9 21.9 0 50 50 0 57.1 42.9
Ofloxacin 56.2 39.0 4.8 0 100 0 42.9 57.1 0
Pristinamycin 100 　0 0 100 0 0 100 0 0

The breakpoints (mg/L) according to CLSI are as follows: tetracycline S≤4, R≥8; doxycycline S≤4, R≥8; azithromycin S≤0.12, R≥4; clarithromycin S≤1, R≥4; erythromycin S≤1, R≥4; josamycin S≤2, R≥ 8; ciprofloxacin S≤1, R≥2; ofloxacin S≤1, R≥4; pristinamycin R≥2.

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