Ureaplasma urealyticum infection during pregnancy

There are many types of examinations, and different types determine different diagnostic work. Special attention should also be paid to some related method issues, which is also worthy of attention. However, everyone needs to pay attention that after the ureaplasma infection examination, if you suddenly find that you are pregnant, you need further examination first, because it is contagious and usually accompanied by mother-to-child transmission.

Diagnostic measures

Laboratory detection methods for ureaplasma urealyticum include: morphological examination, mycoplasma culture, antigen detection, serological methods and molecular biological methods.

Studies on ureaplasma MB antigen have shown that MB antigen is the main outer membrane antigen recognized during ureaplasma infection. It is species-specific and contains serum-specific and cross-reactive antigenic determinants.

The gene encoding the MB antigen is more than 1,200 bases long, the N-terminal 1/3 is a conserved region, containing group-specific antigenic determinants; the C-terminal 2/3 is a variable region composed of repeated sequences, containing type-specific antigenic determinants, which plays an important role in the study of this antigen and the pathogenesis and immune mechanism of the disease. MB antigen is located on the surface of the Ureaplasma membrane, and the N-terminus is fixed to the membrane so that the C-terminal repeat region is exposed to the microenvironment surrounding the microorganism.

The N-terminus can serve as the basis for its grouping and typing, and the C-terminus is most likely to first encounter the host's defense system and induce a major antibody response, which is the basis for understanding its pathogenesis and immune mechanism. The relationship between MB antigen and the disease, as well as its role in the disease, needs further exploration.

The serological test methods for determining mycoplasma antibodies include mycoplasma-specific serological tests and non-specific serological tests. Among the mycoplasma-specific serological tests, the most commonly used is the complement fixation test, and there are also indirect immunofluorescence staining, growth inhibition test, metabolic inhibition test, indirect hemagglutination test, enzyme immunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Non-specific serological methods for mycoplasma include the Mycoplasma pneumoniae cold agglutination test and the MG Streptococcus agglutination test, which can serve as auxiliary diagnosis for mycoplasma pneumonia. The method of detecting specific antibody IgG cannot yet achieve the purpose of early rapid diagnosis, and antigen detection is the development direction of future research. There are reports on the direct detection of mycoplasma antigens in secretions and body fluids using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, fluorescently labeled antibodies, monoclonal antibodies to Mycoplasma pneumoniae membrane proteins, and reverse indirect hemagglutination, which have high specificity and sensitivity.

When the human body is infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, it can produce specific IgM and IgG antibodies. IgM antibodies appear early, usually one week after infection, reach a peak at 3 to 4 weeks, and then gradually decrease. Since the incubation period of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is 2 to 3 weeks, when patients develop symptoms and seek medical treatment, IgM antibodies have reached a fairly high level. Therefore, positive IgM antibodies can be used as a diagnostic indicator for acute infection.

If the IgM antibody is negative, the Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection cannot be denied and the IgG antibody needs to be tested. IgG appears later than IgM and needs to be observed dynamically. If it increases significantly, it indicates a recent infection, while if it decreases significantly, it indicates the late stage of infection.

PCR detection provides the possibility for further early diagnosis of MP infection. The application of PCR combines the sensitivity of PCR and the specificity of probe hybridization, and is currently recognized as the test with the best accuracy and repeatability.

prevention

Both husband and wife should undergo ureaplasma testing before planning to become pregnant. If there is ureaplasma infection, they should wait until it is cured before becoming pregnant. Secondly, if the test result is positive during early pregnancy, timely treatment should be given to avoid harm to the fetus. Non-pregnant women can take drugs such as minocycline and erythromycin, while pregnant women are only limited to erythromycin treatment.

Erythromycin has few side effects. Ureaplasma urealyticum is a disease transmitted through sexual contact and there is also indirect infection. Therefore, both husband and wife should pay attention to sexual hygiene, use Ph4 weak acid formula female care solution for daily cleaning, and avoid unclean sexual life, which is of great significance to prevent ureaplasma urealyticum infection.