Differentiate mycoplasma hominis from ureaplasma urealyticum

Mycoplasma hominis and ureaplasma urealyticum are two kinds of mycoplasma. However, they are different. And in this article, I will analyze the differences between them from five aspects: definition, causes, symptoms, complications and treatment.

Definition:

Mycoplasma hominis is a species of bacteria in the genus Mycoplasma. Along with ureaplasmas and mycoplasmas, they are the smallest free-living organisms known. It is often present in the vagina, but may or may not belong to the normal vaginal flora. Some evidence suggests that M. hominis may be associated with pelvic inflammatory disease.

Ureaplasma urealyticum is a genital mycoplasma which colonizes the human genital tract. It then produces infection. The organism is sometimes referred to as "T-strain" of mycoplasma because it produces tiny colonies invisible to the naked eye. Ureaplasma urealyticum is a small, gram-negative organism that is unicellular and lacks a cell wall.

Causes:

Sexual contact (the primary mode as the infection is most commonly associated with sexual promiscuity )

Vertically from mother to her offspring 

Hospital-acquired through transplanted tissues

When an infected person coughs or sneezes in your face

Symptoms:

Symptoms of mycoplasma hominis include:

Painful urination

Unusual discharge

Pain during sex

The symptoms associated with Ureaplasma urealyticum include:

Non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU)

Unusual genital discharge (possibly yellow)

Prostatitis 

Salpingitis 

Orchitis 

Epididymitis 

Chorioamnionitis 

Neonatal pneumonia

Neonatal meningitis

Chronic fatigue

Burning sensation in the nose or itchy eyes

Complications:

Since M. hominis inhabits the urogenital tract of humans, it has the potential of contributing to pelvic inflammatory disease, salpingitis and bacterial vaginosis. It has also been found to be a contributing factor of both pharyngitis and respiratory disease while contributing to other forms of disease including septic arthritis, central nervous system conditions, female infertility and postpartum fever.

According to the Diseases Database, complications of ureaplasma urealyticum include: pneumonia in newborn infants, meningitis in newborn infants, infertility, neonatal death and premature birth.

Treatment:

Antibiotic treatment:

Initial treatments for ureaplasma urealyticum are doxycycline and azithromycin. Other alternatives include erythromycin, ofloxacin and minocycline.

Antibiotics that can take effect on the ribosome can play a good role in treating M. hominis. These antibiotics include erythromycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and so on. 

Herbal therapy:

Both can be cured by a herbal medicine named fuyan pill.