Ureaplasma urealyticum : the Role as a Pathogen in Women ’s Health, a Systematic Review

AbstractPurpose of ReviewTo evaluate the role ofUreaplasma urealyticum as a genital pathogen in women ’s health. Three aspects were analyzed: (1) preterm delivery (PTD); (2) female infertility; and (3) lower genital tract pathology including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), cervicitis, and genital discomfort (discharge, burning).Recent FindingsA systematic review was performed. Searching PUBMED and EMBASE for published articles from January 2003 to September 2017 using the key word “Ureaplasma urealyticum” yielded 1835 manuscripts. These were further screened using defined inclusion criteria: (1) original peer-reviewed observational studies; (2) English language; (3)U. urealyticum was specifically isolated; (4) present “cases”/“exposed” and “controls”/“unexposed” to enable calculating an association betweenU. urealyticum and the outcome studied. Altogether, 32 studies were included that underwent quality scoring based on methodology, sample size, study population, and method of identification ofU. urealyticum. The association ofU. urealyticum and PTD was inconsistent between the studies. Eight of the ten prospective studies failed to show an association betweenU. urealyticum and PTD, yet four of the six case control studies found a positive association. Regarding female infertility and genital discomfort, five of the six studies for each of these topics failed to find an association. Only two studies met the inclusion criteria for cervicitis with confl...
Source: Current Infectious Disease Reports - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research