Polymicrobial infections of the female low genital tract

A complete microbiologic analysis of nine infectious agents causing low genital tract infection (LGTI) was obtained in 240 young women, of whom 193 were symptomatic for LGTI and 47 were asymptomatic (control group). The polymicrobial nature of LGTI was demonstrated by both the increased frequency of different microorganisms (1.77 +/- 1.09 SD in symptomatic vs. 1.08 +/- 0.98 in asymptomatic patients) and the increased total number of agents (0 agents 8.3 and 36.2%, 1-2 agents 67.4 and 55.3%, greater than or equal to 3 agents 24.3 and 8.5%, in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients respectively). There was a mutual association between Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis, where the presence of one nearly doubled the frequency of the other. Of 74 symptomatic patients with a single infectious agent, Chlamydia trachomatis was isolated most frequently, suggesting an important role of this agent in infections of the female low genital tract.