Mycoplasma genitalium in Infertile and Pregnant Women in Lagos, Nigeria

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Mycoplasma genitalium in infertile and pregnant women in Lagos metropolis, Nigeria.

Study Design: The study is a cross sectional survey for the presence of M. genitalium in infertile and pregnant women aged 22 to 45 years that attended the Gynecology and Antenatal clinics at Lagos.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted over a 3 month period within Lagos, Nigeria.

Methodology: First- void urine and high vaginal swab samples were collected from 143 infertile women; while 90 pregnant women had their samples collected from the two hospitals. The samples were immediately inoculated into 5ml of sterile Mycoplasma broth and transported to the laboratory. The nucleic acid amplification test (Polymerase Chain Reaction) was used to analyze the samples.

Results: Out of the 143 infertile women, 5 (7.7%) yielded M. genitalium while 3 of the 90 pregnant women were positive for M. genitalium using the high vaginal swab specimens. The first voided urine samples from infertile women gave a percentage of 2.6% (2 positives) while 2 of the urine samples from the pregnant women were positive giving a percentage of 4.4.

Conclusion: The study shows that M. genitalium can be demonstrated in both pregnant and infertile women using PCR since it is a very fastidious organism. This pathogen should be routinely sought for in all cases of infertility where no other known case is implicated and in pregnancy to prevent recurrent pregnancy outcome.