title: Mycoplasma pneumoniae: a rare cause of vulvar ulcers or an undiagnosed one?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acute vulvar ulcers are quite common, and often, an etiological diagnosis cannot be achieved. This article reports 3 cases of vulvar ulcers in adult women infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The authors were able to find only one similar report in the literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two women in their third decade of life and 1 in the fourth presented to the hospital with acute and intense vulvar pain. Two of them reported oropharyngeal symptoms in the preceding days. All 3 presented with extensive, painful, and destructive vulvar ulcers. A standard protocol was applied, including samples taken from the ulcer (microbiology and polymerase chain reaction) and blood drawn for serological examination and liver function testing. All 3 had the remarkable finding of a positive immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM for M. pneumonia (in one of the cases, IgM was initially inconclusive but turned to positive when repeated 2 weeks later). One patient had an extensive destruction of one labium minus, requiring surgical reconstruction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two of them were treated with antibiotics, and one was not. However, in fact, all 3 healed in a similar period, making it probable that this kind of medication is not helpful.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  M. pneumoniae might be associated with some cases of vulvar ulcers and should always be tested in this context. Probably, antibiotic treatment is not helpful, even when this agent is identified as the possible causal agent of vulvar ulcers.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, Hospital de São João, Porto, Portugal. pedrovieirabaptista@gmail.com
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vieira-Baptista
authors.forename: Luísa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Ana Rosa
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beires
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martinez-de-Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014456:Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D014844:Vulva / Q000473:pathology; D014845:Vulvar Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M