Bacterial Load in Daily Urine Samples of Patients Infected with Mycoplasma genitalium, Mutation Analysis, and Response to Treatment

Objective. Increasing macrolide resistant strains of Mycoplasma genitalium is a challenge, and to differentiate between treatment failure and reinfection a timely test of cure (TOC) is warranted. The aim of this study was to evaluate the best time for TOC after five days' treatment of Mycoplasma genitalium infection with azithromycin. Methods. Nineteen patients with positive PCR for Mycoplasma genitalium in urine provided urine samples daily for 2 weeks and on days 21, 28, and 35. Samples were tested by a commercial qPCR and by sequencing of the 23S rRNA gene. Results. Eight patients with a wild type of Mycoplasma genitalium responded successfully within four days after treatment initiation. Eleven patients had a mutation in the 23S rRNA gene. These samples exhibited high variations in bacterial load, and some patients tested negative at several time points during the observation period. Conclusions. Day-to-day fluctuations in the mutation samples allow for false negative TOC during the first 5 weeks after start of treatment. Due to increasing macrolide resistance of Mycoplasma genitalium, pretreatment mutation analysis is recommended. When a wild type is verified, TOC performed one week after initiation of treatment is suggested.