Ureaplasma urealyticum in the urethra of healthy men

Nineteen healthy married white men had samples of first-voided urine cultured for Ureaplasma urealyticum at weekly intervals for 17 consecutive weeks. Of these, 63% harboured U urealyticum in their urine on at least one occasion; in 40% of the men with positive culture results ureaplasmas were isolated from 90% of samples. Those men whose specimens were frequently culture-positive had notably higher titres for U urealyticum than those whose specimens were less frequently positive. There were no significant correlation between the number of leucocytes in the urinary sediment and the amount of U realyticum in the corresponding urine specimens, although ureaplasma-positive urine specimens tended to contain slightly more leucocytes than ureaplasma-negative samples. Fourfold or higher rises in titre of U urealyticum in urine samples was not associated with urethral signs or symptoms. One man with a presumably primary infection developed dysuria. Sixty-five strains of U urealyticum were serotyped, with types 2 and 3 predominating; the serotype found in each patient with fairly constant.