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Mycoplasma genitalium and Other Reproductive Tract Infections in Pregnant Women, Papua New Guinea, 2015-2017.

Scoullar MJL, Boeuf P, Peach E, Fidelis R, Tokmun K, Melepia P, Elijah A, Bradshaw CS, Fehler G, Siba PM, Erskine S, Mokany E, Kennedy E, Umbers AJ, Luchters S, Robinson LJ, Wong NC, Vallely AJ, Badman SG, Vallely LM, Fowkes FJI, Morgan C, Pomat W, Crabb BS, Beeson JG, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Study Team1

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  • Journal Emerging infectious diseases

  • Published 05 Jul 2021

  • Volume 27

  • ISSUE 3

  • Pagination 894-904

  • DOI 10.3201/eid2703.201783

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.