Mycoplasma Genatalia Treatment

Mycoplasma genitalium(MG) is a small bacterium that lives in the human genital tract; it's transmitted by unprotected sex. Infection with MG is actually very common but is often asymptomatic, meaning that it doesn't necessarily manifest any obvious symptoms. MG infections have been linked to several conditions in both men and women, including pelvic inflammatory disease and urethritis, but scientists still aren't entirely sure what role MG plays in disease.

Characteristics

• Unfortunately, MG is difficult to grow in culture, which has made it more difficult for scientists to study. It was only discovered in 1980, and it's not known precisely what fraction of the population is infected because there have not been any comprehensive efforts to screen for MG. In most cases there are no symptoms and it's not clear whether MG infection has long-term consequences or complications. MG has been linked, however, to several diseases, including pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis (inflammation of the endometrial lining of the uterus) and cervicitis (inflammation of the cervix) in women and urethritis (inflammation of the urethra) in men.

Symptoms

• Itching in the vagina, a burning feeling during urination and pain associated with sex are all symptoms in women that might indicate MG infection. In men, pain during urination, itching and yellowish discharge are symptoms of urethritis--a condition linked in some studies to MG. Doctors have not yet identified specific symptoms that would enable them to distinguish pelvic inflammatory disease(PID) or urethritis caused by MG from PID or urethritis caused by other infectious agents.

Detection

• Labs typically test for MG using a technique called PCR that makes copies of a specific DNA sequence from a sample. Conditions like urethritis can sometimes result from co-infections with multiple bacteria--a challenge factor when trying to pin down the culprit and determine the appropriate treatment. Since the symptoms for MG infection don't differ markedly from symptoms of infection with some other common STIs--and since MG is often asymptomatic--MG may well go undetected.

Treatment

• Since MG is difficult to isolate from specimens, scientists are still working to determine what treatment is best for MG--if and when MG infection requires treatment. Asymptomatic infections may not even require any intervention, although it's possible that asymptomatic infections could cause some long-term and as-yet unidentified consequences. Typically treatment for MG is with antibiotics to kill the bacteria or prevent them from growing.

Most Effective Antibiotics

• According to a 2009 study in the journal Antimicrobial Agents Chemotherapy, the most effective antibiotics against MG in vitro(in a test tube or experimental setup) were azithromycin, clarithromycin, sitafloxacin and moxifloxacin. Another study in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases in 2006, however, reported that azithromycin fails to effect a cure in a significant number of cases, which might make moxifloxacin or other antibiotics a better choice. Doxycycline and levofloxacin are also antibiotics commonly prescribed to treat conditions sometimes caused by MG. As always, if you have a question about your condition or choosing the appropriate treatment, the best person to consult is your doctor.