Mycoplasma genitalium and other reproductive tract infections in pregnant women, Papua New Guinea, 2015–2017

Authors & affiliation

Michelle J.L. Scoullar, Philippe Boeuf, Elizabeth Peach, Ruth Fidelis, Kerryanne Tokmun, Pele Melepia, Arthur Elijah, Catriona S. Bradshaw, Glenda Fehler, Peter M. Siba, Simon Erskine, Elisa Mokany, Elissa Kennedy, Alexandra J. Umbers, Stanley Lüchters, Leanne J. Robinson, Nicholas C. Wong, Andrew J. Vallely, Steven G. Badman, Lisa M. Vallely, Freya J.I. Fowkes, Christopher Morgan, William Pomat, Brendan S. Crabb, James G. Beeson, [missing] Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Study Team1

Abstract

Much about the range of pathogens, frequency of coinfection, and clinical effects of reproductive tract infections (RTIs) among pregnant women remains unknown. We report on RTIs (Mycoplasma genitalium, Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum, bacterial vaginosis, and vulvovaginal candidiasis) and other reproductive health indicators in 699 pregnant women in Papua New Guinea during 2015–2017. We found M. genitalium, an emerging pathogen in Papua New Guinea, in 12.5% of participants. These infections showed no evidence of macrolide resistance. In total, 74.1% of pregnant women had >1 RTI; most of these infections were treatable. We detected sexually transmitted infections (excluding syphilis) in 37.7% of women. Our findings showed that syndromic management of infections is greatly inadequate. In total, 98.4% of women had never used barrier contraception. These findings will inform efforts to improve reproductive healthcare in Papua New Guinea.

Publication date:

2021

Staff members:

Stanley Luchters

Link to publication

Open link

Attachments

20-1783.pdf (restricted)

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