The Genital Mycoplasmas

Abstract

Introduction and Historical AspectsALTHOUGH the first isolation of a mycoplasma from a human being, a patient with a genital infection,¹ was reported in 1937, it is only in the past few years that convincing evidence has appeared linking these organisms to disorders of the human genital tract. Genital mycoplasmas have now been associated with nongonococcal urethritis, acute salpingitis, abortion, post-partum fever and, most recently, with low birth weight. This review will attempt to evaluate critically the role of the genital mycoplasmas in human disease and to indicate areas of future investigations.Mycoplasmas were prominent in veterinary medicine long before . . .