ABSTRACT:
Genital mycoplasmas are opportunistic pathogens that may cause complications during pregnancy. The resistance of mycoplasmas to routine antimicrobials is widespread and increasing. We aimed to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of mycoplasmas and to detect a possible link between the diagnosis of mycoplasmas and the cessation of pregnancy. The detection and antimicrobial susceptibilities of Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum were evaluated using the Mycoplasma IES Plus Kit. This study was performed with 56 patients who had abnormal vaginal discharge and who attended an antenatal clinic at the Al Hilla General Teaching Hospital in Babylon Province, Iraq. The groups were divided as follows: 35 patients had a spontaneous abortion, and 21 patients had a pregnancy that went to full-term. Mycoplasmas were detected in 89.3% (50/56) of patients. Of these women infected with M. hominis and/or U. urealyticum, 62.5% (35/56) had a spontaneous abortion, and 26.8% (15/56) delivered a live foetus. The susceptibility rates of M. hominis and U. urealyticum to clindamycin were 20% and 13%, respectively. Mixed isolates (M. hominis and U. urealyticum) had a higher resistance to most of the antibacterial agents in comparison to the resistance of either M. hominis or U. urealyticum alone. To prevent complications during pregnancy, the data on local antimicrobial susceptibility patterns needs to be updated; this will assist the decision-making groups in choosing the best treatment strategies for patients with these infections.