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Eric Caumes (Infectiologist)
There are many sexually transmitted infections and some are less well known than others. Among the most mysterious is Mycoplasma genitalium or Mgen, a bacterium that infects the urinary and genital tracts in both men and women. The point with Pr Eric Caumes, infectiologist.
According to a survey reported by the DailyMailbetween 1 and 2% of Britons aged 16 to 44 – or around 500,000 people – are affected by a little-known sexually transmitted infection: mycoplasma genitalium, also known as Mgen.
What is Mycoplasma genitalium?
Mycoplasma genitalium is a bacterium that is spread during penetrative sex. It concerns both men and women and would be “widespread also in the population of men who have sex with men” first explains Prof. Eric Caumes. The survey also reveals that out of 500 people questioned, only 15% of them had already heard of the Mgen. Worse, nine out of ten people do not feel able to identify the symptoms of this STI.
What are the symptoms of this STI?
This STI can cause several different symptoms: pain during urination, itching or bleeding after sexual intercourse in women. “But generally it is a low noise infection, the symptoms often go unnoticed and unfortunately it can lead to low noise urethritis (infection of the urethra) but also eventually endometritis (inflammation of the endometrium) and problems fertility“adds the specialist.
In fact, according to the survey, eight out of ten men and half of women affected by the bacteria show no visible symptoms of the infection.
An STI difficult to treat, because of its resistance to antibiotics
This bacterium has other peculiarities. “It is a bacterium which has been identified recently and whose diagnosis is made only by the technique of PCR, a method of DNA sequencing. adds Professor Caumes. “In addition, we do not currently have a culture method and it has also long been confused with other germs, such as Mycoplasma hominis or Ureaplasma urealyticum“. So many factors that did not help in the identification of mycoplasma genitalium earlier.
Finally, the infectiologist recalls that this bacterium remains difficult to treat, because of its “super resistance”. “Mycoplasma genitalium is the third cause of urethritis, after gonococcal and chlamydial infection. At present, it is sought in the event of treatment failure for these two STIs, but it remains poorly known to the general public. concludes the doctor.