The potantial effect of genital mycoplasmas such as mycoplasma hominis and ureaplasma urealyticum in intraamniotic infections and complicated pregnancy

Intrauterine infections are among the most important causes of gestational abnormalities especially including preterm birth, premature rupture of membranes, low weighted births, intrauterine stillbirth and spontaneous abortion. Sexually transmitted pathogens such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis such as several mycoplasma species and genotypes, such as Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium and Ureaplasma urealyticum, have also been claimed by various researchers to translocate into upper genital organs, leading to pregnancy anomalies in pregnancies. In recent years, some specific M. hominis strains have been shown to cross placental barriers, adhere to fetal membranes and make infection so these results have intensified the attention on these microorganisms. In our study, it was aimed to investigate the possible association preterm delivery amog M. hominis and arl, goiB and goiC genes, which are thought to be responsible for membrane rupture in M. hominis strains and U. urealyticum by using culture and PCR methods. Cervical, vaginal swabs and urine specimens of 61 pregnant women who had suspected premature rupture of membranes in ≤34 weeks gestational age and samples from 21 healthy pregnant with gestational age of ≤34 weeks were used in the study. Confirmation for the mycoplasma strains was conducted by PCR-RFLP method by 16S-23S rRNA spacer regions primers and VspI -HindIII enzymes. The presence of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae was investigated by PCR using DNA extraction from the specimens. Mycoplasma in 9.8% patients and ureaplasma in 8.2% patients were produced and mycoplasma and ureaplasma in 9.5% pregnant women of control group by culture. By using of specific primers were found M. hominis in 39.3%, M. genitalium in 4.9%, U. urealyticum in 31.1% and C. trachomatis in 16.4% of total 61 patients. In the control group, these organisms were; 14.3%, 9.5%, 14.3% and 38.0% respectively. Target DNA band profile was showed in none of the pregnant urine specimens. Amplicons obtained by amplifying 16S-23S rRNA spacer region sequences of M. hominis, after digestion with VspI enzyme and specific band profiles were visualized at 113 bp and 123 bp. Concerning the presence of genes, arl of M. hominis was detected in two pregnant women in the patient group and arl and goiB genes positivity in a control group participant, but goiC target sequences could not be detected in any group. The effect of mycoplasma and ureaplasma on preterm birth is still not fully comprehended. Further studies are needed with more cases.