Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of genitourinary mycoplasma infection in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).


METHODS
Urine specimens from 49 patients with SLE and 22 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) were cultured for mycoplasma. Patient records were reviewed for medical history and SLE disease activity.


RESULTS
Sixty-three percent of the SLE patients were culture positive, compared with 4.5% of the CFS patients (P less than 0.001). Neither corticosteroid treatment, SLE activity, nor age accounted for this difference.


CONCLUSIONS
Genitourinary mycoplasma colonization occurs significantly more frequently in SLE than in CFS.
Ginsburg
K S
KS
Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.
Kundsin
R B
RB
Walter
C W
CW
Schur
P H
PH
D015331:Cohort Studies; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D016990:Ureaplasma urealyticum / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology; D014566:Urogenital System / Q000382:microbiology