title: Mycoplasmas in semen of chronic prostatitis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the occurrence of mycoplasmas in the semen of chronic prostatitis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Genital mycoplasmas (Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum) were sought in the semen of 121 chronic prostatitis patients [38 National Institutes of Health (NIH) category IIIa, 59 NIH category IIIb and 24 NIH category IV] and 40 controls. The commercially available kit Mycoplasma IST was applied to the semen samples of all 161 men, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to those of 60 randomly selected men.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ureaplasmas were found in all study groups (at frequencies ranging from 12% to 25%) using the Mycoplasma IST test, but M. hominis was found only in one NIH category IIIb patient. Using PCR, most of the ureaplasmas appeared to be U. parvum, which was found in all prostatitis groups (18% of NIH category IIIa, 15% of NIH category IIIb and 25% of NIH category IV patients) but not in the controls. M. genitalium was found in 18% of the NIH category IIIa patients. All of the mycoplasmas occurred significantly more frequently in prostatitis patients than in controls and in NIH category IIIa patients than in controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mycoplasmas occur more frequently in the semen of prostatitis patients than in that of healthy controls, with U. parvum being the most frequently occurring species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia. Reet.Mandar@ut.ee
authors.forename: Reet
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mändar
authors.forename: Elve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raukas
authors.forename: Silver
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Türk
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Korrovits
authors.forename: Margus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Punab
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D045704:Mycoplasma genitalium / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D012661:Semen / Q000382:microbiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial