Mycoplasma genitalium infection in sub-Saharan Africa: How big is the problem?

摘要

Although Mycoplasma genitalium has been clearly associated with nongonococcal urethritis in men and a handful of studies have reported associations with pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility among women, we know relatively little about its natural history. Unfortunately, the carefully designed prospective observational studies in untreated populations that are ideal to study natural history can no longer be done for M. genitalium; there is sufficient evidence suggesting that it causes harm and it can be treated, making such studies unethical. Vandepitte and colleagues have creatively circumvented this barrier by retrospectively testing stored specimens from a completed cohort study and report persistence, clearance, and recurrence rates for M. genitalium in Ugandan female sex workers in this issue of the journal. This doubles the number of studies on this topic among high-risk women in sub-Saharan African and significantly expands our knowledge of the natural history of this emerging pathogen.