1. Abnormal Vaginal pH and Mycoplasma genitalium Infection
- Author
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Nicole Quinn, Akilah F. Weber, Jill S. Huppert, Justin R. Bates, and Charlotte A. Gaydos
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,MG infection ,Adolescent ,Mycoplasma genitalium ,Article ,Microbiology ,Young Adult ,Risk Factors ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,Mycoplasma Infections ,Young adult ,Pathogen ,Vaginal Smears ,biology ,business.industry ,Extramural ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,General Medicine ,Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ,biology.organism_classification ,Vaginal ph ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Logistic Models ,Vagina ,Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health ,Female ,business - Abstract
Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) is a sexually transmitted pathogen linked to female morbidity, but testing for MG is not standardized. We aimed to determine which point-of-care (POC) vaginal tests could predict MG infection.A cross sectional study recruited sexually active adolescent women, aged 14-22 y (n = 217) from an urban medical center.Vaginal swabs were POC tested for pH, amines, clue cells, sialidase, and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV). MG was detected by research-use-only transcription mediated amplification (TMA) assay. Presence of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) were confirmed using TMA. Three criteria were required for diagnosis of clinical BV: pH4.5, presence of amines, and20% clue cells. Associations were assessed using logistic regression (LR).TMA detected MG in 30 (14%), CT in 49 (23%), and NG in 21 (10%) of the samples tested. POC vaginal tests were positive for TV in 21%, amines in 52%, clue cells in 33%, sialidase in 22%, pH 4.5 in 56%, and clinical BV in 19% of the samples tested. Using LR, pH 4.5 was a predictor of MG (odds ratio 4.4, P .05). Of 131 women without clinical BV or TV, 25% of those with pH 4.5 had MG, compared to 9% of those with pH ≤ 4.5 (P = .02).Until standardized, approved testing for MG is available, pH may be a useful indicator to suspect MG, especially in the absence of BV and TV.
- Published
- 2013
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