title: Antibodies to mycoplasma fermentans in HIV-positive heterosexual patients: seroprevalence and association with AIDS.
abstract: There are conflicting reports concerning the prevalence of Mycoplasma fermentans in HIV-positive patients and its association with AIDS. Serum antibodies to M. fermentans were measured by a modified immunoblotting technique in 48 HIV-positive heterosexual patients and in 30 HIV-negative heterosexual controls. Antibodies to M. fermentans were detected in 19 (40%) of HIV-positive patients and in three (10%) of the HIV-negative controls (P = 0.01). The prevalence of antibodies to Mycoplasma hominis and to Ureaplasma urealyticum was similar in both groups. In the HIV-positive group, 16/19 (84%) M. fermentans-positive patients developed AIDS, compared to eight of 29 (28%) M. fermentans-negative patients (P = 0.0004). The HIV-positive patients with antibodies to M. fermentans had a lower CD4+ cell count and a higher prevalence of antibodies to the other mycoplasma tested (P = 0.007 and P = 0.03, respectively), as compared to the patients without antibodies to M. fermentans. These findings may suggest that the presence of antibodies to M. fermentans indicate an opportunistic infection. Of the 19 M. fermentans-positive patients, 11 were positive on the first examination, and eight became positive during the follow-up period. Seven out of these eight patients developed antibodies to M. fermentans before the development of AIDS. Therefore, the possibility exists that M. fermentans might influence the development of AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Soroka Medical Centre, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horowitz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Horowitz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rager-Zisman
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alkan
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D016858:Mycoplasma fermentans / Q000276:immunology*; D019535:Mycoplasma hominis / Q000276:immunology; D016869:Ureaplasma Infections / Q000276:immunology; D016990:Ureaplasma urealyticum / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial