Ureaplasma urealyticum: Information & Specialists

Strictly speaking, Ureaplasma urealyticum is not a disease, but a bacterium. This bacterium, Ureaplasma urealyticum, can cause various diseases and symptoms.

A Ureaplasma infection is problematic because it often causes no symptoms at all. As a result, the infection frequently goes unnoticed and untreated for a long time.

If left untreated, the infection can lead to other conditions that often involve serious complications. In the worst-case scenario, it can lead to infertility and, in pregnant women, to premature birth or miscarriage.

The Ureaplasma urealyticum bacterium is only about 0.1 to 0.6 micrometers (µm) in size and belongs to the Mycoplasma family. It does not have a rigid cell wall. As a result, the bacterium is resistant to some antibiotics. Ureaplasma urealyticum can multiply outside of cells.

The bacterium is also highly contagious. In most cases, it is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse. A Ureaplasma infection is therefore, in the broadest sense, classified as a sexually transmitted disease.

However, other routes of transmission are also possible, such as through

• blood, e.g., blood transfusions or contaminated needles,
• saliva, or
• open wounds.

In rare cases, transmission via the air or through breathing is even possible. This would require, for example, an infected person to cough in the face of a healthy person. Under certain circumstances, infection is also possible through contact with nasal or eye secretions from an infected person.

In most cases, a Ureaplasma infection causes no symptoms. As a result, it often goes unnoticed and untreated for a long time.

If a Ureaplasma infection remains untreated for several months, it can also affect other parts of the body, such as

• joints,
• nerves, and
• muscles

.

The first symptoms may appear about 10 to 14 days after infection with Ureaplasma urealyticum.

Symptoms of a Ureaplasma infection in men

Possible symptoms of a Ureaplasma infection in men include

• a mild burning sensation in the urethra,
• pain when urinating,
• a frequent urge to urinate,
• unusual discharge from the penis, either clear or cloudy,
• redness and inflammation in the genital area, as well as
• lower abdominal pain.

If left untreated, Ureaplasma urealyticum can cause various diseases of the urogenital tract in men. These include, for example, inflammation of the urethra (urethritis), which can subsequently spread to

• the bladder (cystitis),
• the prostate (prostatitis),
• the testicles (orchitis), and
• the kidneys (nephritis)

.

In the worst-case scenario, testicular inflammation can lead to male infertility (sterility).

Symptoms of a Ureaplasma infection in women

Symptoms in an infected woman may include:

• redness and inflammation in the genital area,
• pain when urinating,
• frequent urge to urinate,
• unusual discharge, and
• lower abdominal pain.

An untreated Ureaplasma infection leads to bacterial colonization of the lower female genital tract. Possible complications and long-term consequences include cystitis and infertility.

In addition, a Ureaplasma infection in pregnant women can lead to complications such as

• premature birth or stillbirth, or
• transmission of the infection to the child during birth

. In an infected child, Ureaplasma urealyticum can cause, among other things, pneumonia or chronic infections of the central nervous system.

The diagnosis of an infection with the bacterium Ureaplasma urealyticum is typically made through

• a medical history interview, during which the treating physician asks the patient to describe their symptoms,
• a physical examination, and
• detection of the causative pathogen, Ureaplasma urealyticum.

Detection of the pathogen is usually only possible via a swab and not through a urine test. The doctor takes this swab from the affected area of the body as part of the physical examination. This is usually the urethra.

The bacterium Ureaplasma urealyticum can be detected in the laboratory © raresb | AdobeStock

Using the swab, laboratory technicians can culture the pathogen. This allows the pathogen to be precisely identified and the diagnosis confirmed.

Treatment for a Ureaplasma infection usually involves specific antibiotics. These antibiotics kill the bacterium Ureaplasma urealyticum. The antibiotic most commonly used is

• doxycycline, an antibiotic from the tetracycline group, and
• the antibiotic azithromycin.

Pregnant women who should not take doxycycline may also be prescribed erythromycin.

Depending on the severity of the Ureaplasma infection, the antibiotic must be taken for at least seven days. If necessary, antibiotic therapy may need to last between 21 and 28 days.

It is advisable for the partner to undergo treatment as well. The partner may already be infected with the pathogen. Without concurrent treatment, the partner could reinfect the patient after treatment.

A Ureaplasma infection can be quickly and easily treated and cured with antibiotics. The prognosis is therefore generally good.

More problematic is a Ureaplasma infection that goes unnoticed for a long time due to the absence of symptoms and therefore remains untreated. It can lead to serious complications and long-term consequences such as

• infertility,
• premature births,
• stillbirths,
• chorioamnionitis (a bacterial infection of the vagina that often occurs during pregnancy),
• meningitis,
• pneumonia, and
• damage to the nerves, joints, and muscles

.