Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) is a bacterial infection transmitted through sexual contact. This organism is increasingly recognized as a significant public health concern globally. Though MG can cause uncomfortable or severe symptoms, the infection frequently goes unnoticed, making it a major factor in its continued spread throughout the population. Understanding how MG is contracted is important for addressing this common bacterium.
The Unique Nature of Mycoplasma Genitalium
The bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium belongs to a specific class of microorganisms characterized by the absence of a rigid cell wall. This structural deficiency makes the organism extremely small and difficult to culture in a laboratory setting, historically complicating its study and diagnosis.
This unique biology grants MG intrinsic resistance to a major class of antibiotics. Medications like penicillin and cephalosporins, which work by disrupting the construction of a bacterial cell wall, are completely ineffective against MG. The organism must instead be treated with different drug classes, such as macrolides or fluoroquinolones, which target internal functions like protein synthesis. This characteristic has contributed to the challenge of treating MG infections, especially as resistance to these alternative antibiotics is rising.
Defining the Primary Transmission Routes
MG is spread primarily through sexual contact involving the exchange of genital secretions. Transmission occurs through unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse with an infected partner. While oral sex is considered a possible route, it is generally believed to be a less common mechanism for transmission.
Transmission can occur even without full penetration, as simple genital-to-genital contact is sufficient to pass the bacterium between partners. The infectivity rate is relatively high. A major factor in the persistent spread of MG is the high proportion of individuals who are asymptomatic carriers. These carriers unknowingly continue to transmit the bacteria to their sexual partners. Transmission is also possible in same-sex relationships through genital or anal contact.
Immediate Signs of Infection
While many infected individuals experience no noticeable signs, those who do often begin to see symptoms within one to three weeks of exposure. The manifestations of MG differ distinctly between men and women. In men, the infection frequently causes urethritis, which is the inflammation of the urethra.
Urethritis can result in a burning sensation or discomfort during urination, a condition known as dysuria. Men may also notice a watery or white discharge from the penis. For women, the infection commonly targets the cervix, leading to cervicitis, or inflammation of the cervix.
Acute symptoms in women can include an unusual vaginal discharge and pain in the pelvic area. Women may also experience discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse, or bleeding between menstrual periods or after sex.
Untreated Complications
If Mycoplasma genitalium infection is not diagnosed and treated, it can lead to severe and long-lasting health consequences. In women, the infection has the potential to ascend from the cervix into the upper reproductive tract, causing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). PID is a serious condition that results in the formation of scar tissue, which may block the fallopian tubes.
Tubal scarring is a known cause of infertility and increases the risk of an ectopic pregnancy. In men, an untreated infection can lead to epididymitis, which is the painful inflammation of the epididymis, the coiled tube at the back of the testicle that stores and carries sperm. This inflammation can also potentially lead to infertility.
Chronic MG infection is also suspected to play a role in increasing an individual’s susceptibility to acquiring or transmitting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The presence of an ongoing, untreated infection creates an inflammatory environment in the genital tract which may facilitate the spread of other pathogens.