Investigation on biovars and genotypes of Ureaplasma urealyticum in the cervix in a Chinese gynecologic check-up population and sex workers

Ureaplasma urealyticum is a causative agent of non-gonococcal urethritis and is implicated in the pathogenesis of several other diseases. However, U. urealyticum is also frequently found in the normal genitourinary tract. To characterize the distribution pattern of biovars and genotypes in normal physical check-up women and in sex workers, cervical swabs taken from 261 physical check-up clients and 98 sex workers were cultured. Positive cultures were further biotyped and genotyped by PCR. The data indicate that a) U. urealyticum is more frequently isolated in sex workers than in physical check-up women (p < 0.001); b) infection with only one genotype (genotype 1, 3 or 6) of biovar 1 is frequently found in physical check-up women; c) biovar 2 infection and mixed infection caused by more than one genotype of biovar 1 are more prevalent in sex workers than in physical check-up women (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively); d) no difference in distribution of genotype 1, 3 and 6 of biovar 1 is found between sex workers and physical check-up women (p = 0.396); e) the PCR method described here is relatively simple, rapid and specific for the biotyping between biovar 1 and 2 and genotyping of genotypes 1, 3, 6, and 14 in biovar 1.