[Distribution and pathogenicity of Ureaplasma urealyticum serotypes in female cervix].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the distribution of Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) serotypes in cervix secretion and examine the relationship between serotype and host age, clinical phenotypes and vaginal Lactobacilli.


METHODS
A total of 444 cervical secretion samples were collected from healthy subjects and 342 cervical secretion samples from females with genital diseases between October and December 2012 at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Biovar-typing was performed by PCR based on multiple-banded antigen (MBA) gene. And serotyping was performed by real-time PCR based on specific nucleotide sequences.


RESULTS
The positive rate of UU in disease group (62.6%, 214/342) was significantly higher than that in healthy group (44.1%, 196/444, P < 0.05). The main serotypes in both groups were 1, 3, 6, 9 and mixed infection.No significant difference existed between host age and UU serotype (P > 0.05) . The distribution of serotype 3 in disease and Lactobacilli abnormal group was significantly higher than that in healthy and Lactobacilli normal groups (13.1% (28/214) vs 5.1% (10/196) , 12.2% (27/221) vs 5.8% (11/189) , both P < 0.05) whereas the distribution of serotype 6 in disease and Lactobacilli abnormal groups was significantly lower than that in healthy and Lactobacilli normal groups (14.0% (30/214) vs 30.1% (59/196) , 16.3% (36/221) vs 28.0% (53/189) , both P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
1, 3, 6, 9 and mixed infection are the main UU serotypes in female cervix.Serotype 3 and mixed infection may be associated with female genital infection.
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310016, China.
Jun
J
Huang
Jun
J
Zhang
Tiejun
T
Song
Yingying
Y
Kong
Shengjun
S
Wu
Email: scottxie@mail.hz.zj.cn.
Xinyou
X
Xie
D000328:Adult; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D052776:Female Urogenital Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012703:Serotyping; D016869:Ureaplasma Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D016990:Ureaplasma urealyticum / Q000145:classification* / Q000472:pathogenicity