(UP) is a causative agent of non-gonococcal urethritis, involved in the pathogenesis of prostatitis and epididymitis, and it could impair human fertility. Although UP infection is a frequent cause of ...male infertility the study evidence assessing their prevalence and the association in patients with infertility is still scarce. The molecular processes leading to defects in spermatozoa quality are not completely investigated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been extensively reported as gene regulatory molecules on post-transcriptional levels involved in various biological processes such as gametogenesis, embryogenesis, and the quality of sperm, oocyte, and embryos.
Therefore, the study design was to demonstrate that miRNAs in body fluids like sperm could be utilized as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for pathological and physiological conditions such as infertility. A post-hoc bioinformatics analysis was carried out to predict the pathways modulated by the miRNAs dysregulated in the differently motile spermatozoa.
Here it is shown that normospermic patients infected by UP had spermatozoa with increased quantity of superoxide anions, reduced expression of miR-122-5p, miR-34c-5, and increased miR-141-3p compared with non-infected normospermic patients. This corresponded to a reduction of sperm motility in normospermic infected patients compared with normospermic non-infected ones. A target gene prediction presumed that an essential role of these miRNAs resided in the regulation of lipid kinase activity, accounting for the changes in the constitution of spermatozoa membrane lipids caused by UP.
Altogether, the data underline the influence of UP on epigenetic mechanisms regulating spermatozoa motility.
Several species of Ureaplasma bacteria are known to be present in the urogenital tract of humans, in both healthy individuals and symptomatic patients. These pathogens are associated with urogenital ...tract infections, infertility problems and spontaneous abortion in humans. The present study involved 77 strains of Ureaplasma species (Ureaplasma spp.), including 21 Ureaplasma urealyticum (U. urealyticum) strains and 56 Ureaplasma parvum (U. parvum) strains. Lipoic acid (LA) and its reduced form dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) are synthesized in all prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Research of recent years increasingly points to therapeutic properties of exogenously supplemented LA. In our study, we examined for the first time the effect of LA on the bacteria multiplication and its bactericidal activity against U. urealyticum and U. parvum. The LA concentrations used were: 1200 µg/ml, 120 µg/ml, and 12 µg/ml. The titer for each strain of Ureaplasma spp. was estimated using the color changing units (CCU) assay. For CCU measurements, a series of 10-fold dilutions of each cell culture in 0.9% NaCl (titration) was prepared and 1 CCU/ml was defined as the highest dilution of cells at which color change was detected. The strongest bacteriostatic and bactericidal effect of LA was observed at a concentration of 1200 µg/ml. In contrast, at lower LA concentrations, stimulation of the bacteria multiplication was noted for 14% of the total number of strains tested. Taken together, the current data provide novel findings about potential beneficial antimicrobial effects of LA.
Abstract
Background
There is limited evidence supporting an association between Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, and Ureaplasma parvum with symptoms or disease in nonpregnant women. ...However, testing and reporting of these organisms frequently occurs, in part due to their inclusion in multiplex-PCR assays for sexually transmitted infection (STI) detection. We investigated if M. hominis, U. urealyticum, and U. parvum were associated with symptoms and/or signs in nonpregnant women attending a sexual health service.
Methods
Eligible women attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre completed a questionnaire regarding sexual practices and symptoms. Symptomatic women underwent examination. Women were assessed for bacterial vaginosis (BV) and vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), and tested for M. hominis, U. urealyticum, and U. parvum, and 4 nonviral STIs using a commercial multiplex-PCR.
Results
1272 women were analyzed. After adjusting for STIs and VVC, M. hominis was associated with abnormal vaginal discharge (aOR = 2.70, 95%CI:1.92–3.79), vaginal malodor (aOR = 4.27, 95%CI:3.08–5.91), vaginal pH > 4.5 (aOR = 4.27, 95%CI:3.22–5.66), and presence of clue cells (aOR = 8.08, 95%CI:5.68–11.48). Ureaplasma spp. were not associated with symptoms/signs. Bacterial vaginosis was strongly associated with M. hominis (aOR = 8.01, 95%CI:5.99–10.71), but was not associated with either Ureaplasma spp. In stratified analyses, M. hominis was associated with self-reported vaginal malodor and clinician-recorded vaginal discharge in women with BV, but not with symptoms/signs in women without BV.
Conclusions
Only M. hominis was associated with symptoms/signs, and these were manifestations of BV. Importantly, M. hominis was not associated with symptoms/signs in women without BV. These findings do not support routine testing for M. hominis, U. urealyticum, and U. parvum in nonpregnant women.
Ureaplasma spp. were not associated with clinical signs or symptoms in nonpregnant women. Mycoplasma hominis was associated with vaginal malodor and abnormal vaginal discharge in women with bacterial vaginosis (BV), but was not associated with symptoms/signs in women without BV.
Abstract Background While Ureaplasma parvum has previously been linked to the incidence of chorioamnionitis, abortion, premature birth, and perinatal complications, there have only been rare reports ...of invasive infections of the central nervous system (CNS) in adults. Owing to its atypical presentation and the fact that it will yield sterile cultures using conventional techniques, diagnosing U. parvum meningitis can be challenging. Case presentation We describe a case of U. parvum meningitis detected in an adult patient following surgical brain tumor ablation. After operation, the patient experienced epilepsy, meningeal irritation, and fever with unconsciousness. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis showed leukocytosis (484 * 106 /L), elevated protein levels (1.92 g/L), and decreased glucose concentrations (0.02 mmol/L). Evidence suggested that the patient was suffering from bacterial meningitis. However, no bacterial pathogens in either CSF or blood were detected by routine culture or serology. The symptoms did not improve with empirical antibiotics. Therefore, we performed metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to identify the etiology of the meningitis. Ureaplasma parvum was detected by mNGS in CSF samples. To the best of our knowledge, this case is the first reported instance of U. parvum meningitis in an adult patient in Asian. After diagnosis, the patient underwent successful moxifloxacin treatment and recovered without complications. Conclusions As mNGS strategies can enable the simultaneous detection of a diverse array of microbes in a single analysis, they may represent a valuable means of diagnosing the pathogens responsible for CNS infections and other clinical conditions with atypical presentations.
To study the inflammatory profile and genes involved in the response to bacterial infections in women who developed spontaneous abortion in the presence of Ureaplasma parvum.
Cross-sectional study.
A ...maternal and child referral center.
Eighty-nine women with spontaneous abortion and 20 women with normal vaginal delivery (control group) were studied.
Samples of biopsied placental tissue were collected for Mollicutes detection.
The samples were subjected to histologic analysis, immunohistochemical evaluation for macrophages and lymphocytes, cytokine quantification, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction array to evaluate the expression of 84 genes related to the innate and adaptive immune responses.
The presence of U. parvum in the abortion group was positively associated with the influx of polymorphonuclear cells in the placental tissue and increased concentrations of interleukin-6 and interleukin-12p70. U. parvum caused downregulation of genes involved in the immune response, such as attraction of immune cells, activation of an inflammatory response, T-helper cell 17 response activation, and activation of the complement system at the beginning and end of pregnancy.
The direct action of U. parvum on placental tissue altered the gestational tolerogenic state, reducing the immune response against pathogens and activating the extrinsic apoptotic pathway, causing spontaneous abortion.
Ureaplasma parvum altera el estado inmunológico tolerogénico en tejido de la placenta y podría causar un aborto espontáneo.
Estudiar el perfil inflamatorio y los genes implicados en la respuesta a las infecciones bacterianas en mujeres que desarrollaron un aborto espontáneo en presencia de Ureaplasma parvum.
Estudio transversal.
Un centro de referencia materno-infantil.
Se estudiaron 89 mujeres con aborto espontáneo y 20 mujeres con parto vaginal normal (grupo control).
Se tomaron muestras de tejido placentario biopsiado para la detección de Tenericutes.
Las muestras se sometieron a análisis histológico, evaluación inmunohistoquímica de macrófagos y linfocitos, cuantificación de citoquinas y a una reacción en cadena de la polimerasa cuantitativa para evaluar la expresión de 84 genes relacionados con la respuesta inmunitaria innata y adaptativa.
La presencia de U. parvum en el grupo de aborto se asoció positivamente con la afluencia de células polimorfonucleares en el tejido placentario y el aumento de las concentraciones de interleucina-6 e interleucina-12p70. U. parvum provocó una regulación a la baja de los genes implicados en la respuesta inmunitaria, como la atracción de células inmunitarias, la activación de una respuesta inflamatoria, la activación de la respuesta de las células T- auxiliares 17 y la activación del sistema del complemento al principio y al final del embarazo.
La acción directa de U. parvum sobre el tejido placentario alteró el estado tolerogénico gestacional, reduciendo la respuesta inmunitaria contra los patógenos y activando la vía apoptótica extrínseca, provocando un aborto espontáneo.
spp. are a genus of bacteria for which two human-associated species exist:
and
Their definition as a pathogen in the context of nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) and infertility among males remains ...highly controversial, largely due to historically high rates of isolation of these bacteria from the urethra of seemingly healthy men. This review summarizes the emerging evidence suggesting a true pathogenic role of these bacteria under specific conditions, which we term risk factors. We examine the historical, clinical, and experimental studies which support a causal role for
spp. in the development of NGU as well as some of the proposed mechanisms behind the association of
spp. and the development of infertility. Finally, we discuss the potential for developing a case-by-case risk-based approach toward the management of men who present with seemingly idiopathic NGU but who are positive for
spp.
Around 40% of preterm births are attributed to ascending intrauterine infection, and Ureaplasma parvum (UP) is commonly isolated in these cases. Here we present a mouse model of ascending UP ...infection that resembles human disease, using vaginal inoculation combined with mild cervical injury induced by a common spermicide (Nonoxynol-9, as a surrogate for any mechanism of cervical epithelial damage). We measure bacterial load in a non-invasive manner using a luciferase-expressing UP strain, and post-mortem by qPCR and bacterial titration. Cervical exposure to Nonoxynol-9, 24 h pre-inoculation, facilitates intrauterine UP infection, upregulates pro-inflammatory cytokines, and increases preterm birth rates from 13 to 28%. Our results highlight the crucial role of the cervical epithelium as a barrier against ascending infection. In addition, we expect the mouse model will facilitate further research on the potential links between UP infection and preterm birth.
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