Polymerase chain reaction versus culture for detection of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis in the urogenital tract of adults and the respiratory tract of newborns

• Published in: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases 1996-07, Vol.15 (7), p.595-598
• Main Authors: ABELE-HORN, M, WOLFF, C, DRESSEL, P, ZIMMERMANN, A, VAHLENSIECK, W, PFAFF, F, RUCKDESCHEL, G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Bacteriological methods and techniques used in bacteriology; Bacteriological Techniques; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Southern; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Male; Microbiology; Mycoplasma hominis; Mycoplasma hominis - isolation & purification; Mycoplasma Infections - diagnosis; Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; Respiratory Tract Infections - diagnosis; Sensitivity and Specificity; Time Factors; Ureaplasma Infections - diagnosis; Ureaplasma urealyticum; Ureaplasma urealyticum - isolation & purification; Urogenital System - microbiology
• ISSN: 0934-9723; 1435-4373
• DOI: 10.1007/BF01709369

The efficiency of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was compared with that of culture for detection of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis in 726 clinical specimens comprising 189 gynecological samples, 362 urological samples, and 175 samples from newborn infants. The sensitivity of PCR versus culture was 95% for both organisms, while the sensitivity of culture versus PCR was 91% for Ureaplasma urealyticum and 84% for Mycoplasma hominis. Furthermore, PCR tests were faster than culture tests, allowing the time to diagnosis to be reduced from two to five days to 24 h.