title: Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Ureaplasma urealyticum in asymptomatic women in Northern Greece.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study attends to determine the prevalence and the antimicrobial susceptibility of Ureaplasma urealyticum in asymptomatic women in Northern Greece.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 347 cervical smears were divided into 5 groups according to age. Samples were cultured, Ureaplasma urealyticum isolation was confirmed by the detection of the urease gene and the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates to 9 commercially available antibiotics was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-six (16.13%) samples were found positive. Women >60 years old were rarely infected. Only 9 (16.07%) isolates were susceptible to all antimicrobials tested. Thirteen isolates were resistant and 34 intermediately resistant to ciprofloxacin, two resistant and 29 intermediately resistant to ofloxacin, three intermediately resistant to macrolides, while all were susceptible to tetracyclines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Northern Greece, 16.13% of asymptomatic women seem to be carriers of Ureaplasma urealyticum mostly in reproductive ages. Almost no resistance to macrolides and tetracyclines has been noticed, while most of the isolates present resistance or moderate sensitivity to quinolones.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Tz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kotrotsiou
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Exindari
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Diza
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gioula
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Melidou
authors.affiliation: Gynecology Department, Theagenion Anticancer Hospital of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaplanis
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Malisiovas
keywords: Northern Greece; Ureaplasma urealyticum; asymptomatic; prevalence; susceptibility; women