Infectious Disease Compendium

Ureaplasma

Microbiology

A Ureaplasm. reaplasma has 14 serotypes divided into two groups/biovars-Ureaplasma parvum and Ureaplasma urealyticum. There are others in dogs, cats and other animals.

Epidemiologic Risks

A sexually transmitted disease.

Part of normal genital flora with a colonization rate of 40-80%.

PCR best test.

Syndromes

Urethritis, epididymitis and prostatitis.

Sterile pyuria. PID? BV? Perhaps mostly biovar 2's.

Can cause invasive disease in those with humoral immunodeficiency, either hypogammaglobulinemia or iatrogenic (anti-CD20 therapy) (PubMed).

Ureaplasma urealyticum can split urea to make ammonia. In immunoincompetent patients infection can lead to hyperammonemia with normal liver function (PubMed).

Treatment

Doxycycline 100 mg bid x 7 days; 10% of Ureaplasmas are resistant to tetracyclines, erythromycin 500 mg qid x 7 days.

In urine samples, doxycycline is most reliable (PubMed).

OR

macrolides such a 1 gm azithromycin.

OR

quinolones, although resistance to EES and ciprofloxacin (35%) is increasing (PubMed).

Notes

Curious Cases

Relevant links to my Medscape blog

Magic

Last Update: 10/18/19.