The association of HIV and genital mycoplasmas in pregnant women on HAART
Mycoplasma infections are most frequently associated with disease in the urogenital or respiratory tracts and, in most cases, mycoplasmas infect the host persistently. In HIV-infected individuals the prevalence and role of genital mycoplasmas has not been well studied. This study employed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to examine the prevalence of Mycoplasma hominis in 106 HIV/AIDS patients, and 106 healthy volunteers from endocervical swabs for women. M. hominis were detected in 63 (74,1%), and 10 (47,6%)patients in the HIV/AIDS group. The patients who refused highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) had a much higher risk of Mycoplasma infection (P < 0,05).This study showed that M. hominis were significantly more prevalent in HIV/AIDS patients. Further research will be required to confirm a causal relationship and to identify risk factors for Mycoplasma infection in HIV/AIDS populations.