title: Association of Ureaplasma urealyticum (biovar 2) with nongonococcal urethritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The tiny (T)-strain mycoplasmas, designated in 1974 as Ureaplasma urealyticum, have been divided into 2 species, Ureaplasma parvum (biovar 1) and U. urealyticum (biovar 2), but association of each of these species with nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) remains unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this study was to determine whether U. parvum (biovar 1) or U. urealyticum (biovar 2) is associated with NGU.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prevalences of U. parvum (biovar 1) and U. urealyticum (biovar 2) in 572 patients with urethritis were compared with those in 141 men without urethritis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of U. urealyticum (biovar 2) in men with NGU (15.8%) or with nonchlamydial NGU (18.0%) was significantly higher than that in men without urethritis (7.8%). The prevalence of U. parvum (biovar 1) in men with NGU (8.5%) or with nonchlamydial NGU (11.1%) did not differ significantly from that in men without urethritis (13.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed a significant association between U. urealyticum (biovar 2) and NGU. They also suggest that the presence of U. parvum (biovar 1) in the male urethra might be the result of colonization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Gifu University School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan. deguchit@cc.gifu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deguchi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Takamaro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyazawa
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamaki
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishiko
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maeda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D016869:Ureaplasma Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016990:Ureaplasma urealyticum; D014526:Urethritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*