[Antibiotic resistance as a public health problem: the case of genital mycoplasmoses]

Antibiotic resistance is an emerging public health problem especially due to the continuous use of antibiotics that selects more aggressive and resistant species. In the present study the authors determined the antibiotic sensitivity of 128 Mycoplasma hominis strains obtained from urethral swabs of male patients (mean age 36 years). The Mycoplasma IST 2 strip was used to test antibiotic susceptibility: 88% of analysed strains were found to be resistant to erythromycin and azithromycin, 75% to clarithromycin, 50% to ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, and 12% to tetracycline. All strains were susceptible to josamycin, doxycycline and pristinamycin. Results were comparable to those of a recent study by Savarino-Mattei which also showed high resistance of M hominis to macrolide antibiotics and to ciprofloxacin and susceptibility to tetracyclines. Doxycycline is currently the antibiotic of first choice for treating M hominis infections.