Ureaplasma iga. Ureaplasma urealyticum (ureaplasmosis), IgA antibodies, quantitative, blood

New medical research technologies such as polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays have enabled the identification of many new microorganisms. Among them is ureaplasma (Ureaplasma urealyticum).

Many patients who have been diagnosed with ureaplasmosis are interested in the type of pathogen, asking questions about how dangerous ureaplasma is, what it is and how to quickly recover from the disease.

The bacterium lives on the genitals and urinary system of humans. Bacteriological studies reveal the activity of the microorganism in various inflammatory diseases: prostatitis, cystitis, colpitis, adnexitis, cervical erosion and other genitourinary diseases in men and women.

The microorganism penetrates into the cytoplasm of leukocytes, epithelium, sperm, disrupting their functions. Often ureaplasma is found together with other pathogenic microflora: chlamydia, gardnerella, trichomonas and others.

Symptoms of the disease may appear acutely or be indolent. There are no specific symptoms unique to ureaplasmosis. Symptoms of the disease caused by ureaplasma are easily confused with manifestations of other microbes. It is possible to determine specifically whether it is ureaplasma or, for example, chlamydia, using diagnostic studies.

Symptoms of male ureaplasmosis:

• burning and stinging in the genitals during urination;
• painful sensations in the area of ​​the head of the penis during sex;
• nagging pain in the perineum and lower abdomen;
• pain in the scrotum (testicles);
• not excessive discharge from the genitals;
• decreased sexual desire.

Symptoms of female ureaplasmosis:

• there is pain, burning and stinging when urinating;
• nagging pain in the lower abdomen may appear;
• there is copious vaginal discharge;
• a woman experiences discomfort during sex;
• partial or complete lack of libido;
• after sexual intercourse, blood may appear in the discharge;
• Pregnancy does not occur for a long time.

Ureaplasma can cause harm to the body without symptoms. In this case, the disease enters the chronic stage, bypassing the acute stage.

How is ureaplasma transmitted, and what factors contribute to the development of diseases?

The main routes of transmission of Ureaplasma spp are considered to be unprotected sexual contact, and infection of infants from the mother in utero or during passage through the birth canal. Intrauterine infection is possible due to the presence of ureaplasma in the amniotic fluid. The infection enters through the skin, urethrogenital tract or digestive tract.

According to statistics, almost a third of female newborns have ureaplasma on their genitals. Among boys, this figure is much lower. As the body grows and develops, the infection disappears, especially in male children. Among schoolgirls, ureaplasma is detected in only 5 to 20 percent of those examined. For boys, this figure is practically reduced to zero. Unlike children, the percentage of adults suffering from ureaplasmosis is increasing, since the sexual route of infection is the most common.

Another way of transmitting a microorganism is through household. How ureaplasma is transmitted through household contact has not been studied, so this statement is controversial. But there are still prerequisites for the fact that not only sexual intercourse is the cause of infection in adults. For example, the microbe is able to remain active on damp household items for two days.

Frequently asked questions about methods of transmission of a microorganism:

• Is it possible to become infected with ureaplasma through a kiss?
  Microbes live and multiply on the organs of the genitourinary system. They are not in the mouth. Therefore, a kiss cannot be a source of infection with ureaplasmosis. But if partners engage in oral sex, the microorganism, entering the oral cavity, can be transmitted to the partner through a kiss. And if he has ulcers on the mucous membranes, then ureaplasma can enter the bloodstream, and, accordingly, infection is possible.
• Is ureaplasma transmitted through saliva?
  We have already found out how ureaplasma is transmitted through a kiss. Therefore, we can say that saliva itself does not contain a microbe, but it can temporarily appear in its composition during oral sex.

If an infection enters the body, this does not mean that the person will get sick.

To activate ureaplasma, special conditions are required, including:

• reduced immunity;
• frequent stress;
• imbalance of the body's microflora;
• the presence of other infections of the genitourinary system;
• radioactive exposure;
• poor nutrition and quality of life in general;
• insufficient genital hygiene;
• long-term use of antibiotics or hormonal drugs;
• pregnancy, childbirth.

A decrease in the body's defenses is almost always accompanied by the development or exacerbation of diseases of bacterial etiology. But the illnesses themselves also reduce immunity: frequent colds, chronic diseases, etc. During pregnancy, a woman’s body undergoes restructuring, and this puts an additional burden on the immune system.

Poor nutrition, alcohol abuse, heavy physical activity and stress - all lead to exhaustion of the body, and therefore contribute to the development of ureaplasmosis. The most dangerous factor for the manifestation of the disease is promiscuity.

In addition to the many different pathogenic microorganisms that enter the mucous membranes of the genital organs, frequent changes of sexual partners disrupt the natural microflora present in the genitourinary area of ​​a woman, increasing the risk of developing inflammatory processes.

Types of ureaplasma in women and men

Ureaplasmas have recently begun to be identified as a separate type of microorganism. Previously, they were classified as a class of mycoplasma. Among the species are ureaplasma urealiticum, parvum and spices. Latin names: urealyticum, parvum, species. There are 14 types of microorganisms in total, but only three by type, differing in the composition of membrane proteins. Thanks to typing by type, it is possible to select an effective treatment for ureaplasmosis.

Type urealiticum.

It has a weakly expressed membrane, due to which it is easily introduced into the mucous membranes of the genital organs and urinary tract. This type of ureaplasma is capable of destroying immune cells, since the basis of the microorganism is immunoglobulin Iga. But the greatest danger of the urealyticum microbe is that it penetrates the cytoplasm of sperm and blood, destroying them.

A variety of parvum.

Spice type

Treatment varies depending on the type of microbe. The most commonly diagnosed diseases are those caused by ureaplasma urealyticum and parvum. Usually the second does not require treatment, it all depends on the number of microbes living on the mucous membranes.

If ureaplasma pravum exceeds the permissible limit several times, then inflammation develops and antibacterial therapy is administered to the bacteria. The urealiticum type requires rapid intervention, as it can cause complications. Based on the patient’s complaints, molecular PCR diagnostics are performed, and after detecting a type of microorganism, appropriate treatment is prescribed.

It is especially important to diagnose these types of ureaplasma in women while pregnant, as they disrupt the normal process of pregnancy.

Tests to identify spices are prescribed in the following cases:

• pregnancy is planned;
• there are pathologies from previous pregnancies;
• during infertility treatment;
• the presence of urogenital infections.

Ureaplasmosis is treated with antibacterial therapy. The antibiotics usually prescribed are tetracyclines or macrolides: Azithromycin, Doxycycline, Josamycin and others. As a supplement, a course of treatment with immunomodulators is prescribed: Dikaris, Taquitin, etc. While taking medications, sexual intercourse and drinking alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Pregnant women undergo therapy under the supervision of a physician.

Diseases caused by different types of ureaplasma in women and men:

• women: damage to the fallopian tubes, adnexitis, endometriosis, cervicitis, vaginitis, ectopic pregnancy, infertility;
• men: prostatitis, urethritis, infertility.

Ureaplasma infection: diagnosis and characteristics of the disease during pregnancy

Treatment of ureaplasmosis is possible only after diagnostic studies. As mentioned earlier, the disease has no distinctive symptoms, and, therefore, the pathogen that provokes the inflammatory process must be identified. It is advisable to undergo diagnostics before conceiving a child, since bacteria can infect the fetus.

Ureaplasma infection is detected using different methods:

1. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). It can be used to differentiate the types of infection: Ureaplasma urealyticum and pravum. The method allows you to detect antibodies to the microbe and titer (quantity) of bacteria.
2. Cultural method (bacterial inoculation). A longer method, but with increased accuracy. Allows you to identify the type of pathogen and its sensitivity to antibacterial substances.
3. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Quite an expensive method. With its help, you can determine even a small amount of bacteria or viruses in the blood serum long before the clinical manifestations of the disease.
4. Immunofluorescence (RNIF - indirect, RPIF - direct). One of the most inexpensive methods for identifying pathogenic microflora.

Delayed diagnosis before pregnancy or infection during pregnancy can cause various complications. This is especially dangerous in the 1st trimester, since antibacterial therapy cannot be carried out during this period. Antibiotics can harm the fetus by inhibiting its growth and causing developmental abnormalities.

Complications associated with pregnancy:

• Ureaplasma urealyticum can lead to ectopic pregnancy, and in the early stages, cause miscarriage.
• In the later stages, the subspecies Ureaplasma spensis contributes to premature birth.
• Both during pregnancy and during childbirth, the baby can be infected with bacteria.
• Ureaplasma infection can cause inflammatory processes in the uterus, which negatively affect the process of bearing a child.
• Many doctors associate low baby weight after birth with the presence of Ureaplasma urealyticum. But it is too early to claim this as a fact, since research is ongoing.

U. urealyticum is a microorganism that belongs to the group of mycoplasmas. Two types of ureaplasma can be pathogenic for humans: U. urealyticum and U. parvum. But, as a rule,...

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Description of the study

Preparing for the study: No special training required Test material: Taking blood

U. urealyticum is a microorganism that belongs to the group of mycoplasmas.

Two types of ureaplasma can be pathogenic for humans: U. urealyticum and U. parvum. But, as a rule, the presence of ureaplasma in the patient’s body is not accompanied by any pathological symptoms; these bacteria can be a component of the microflora of a healthy person.

Ureaplasma is detected in 40-70% of sexually active women. In men they are found less frequently. The route of transmission is predominantly sexual; household contact and vertical transmission are also possible (from mother to child during pregnancy or during childbirth).

Sometimes ureaplasma can cause inflammation of the urethra, or urethritis. Moreover, U. urealyticum is only one of all possible causative agents of urethritis; it can also be caused by gonococci (Neisseria gonorrhoeae), chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis), trichomonas (Trichomonas vaginalis), mycoplasma (Mycoplasma genitalium) and other microorganisms. It is impossible to determine the pathogen by external signs, therefore laboratory tests are necessary for an accurate diagnosis, and, therefore, for choosing an effective treatment method.

Once pathogens enter the body, it begins to fight them. One of the ways of such a fight is the production of special proteins - immunoglobulins, or antibodies. There are several types of immunoglobulins: IgA, IgG, IgM, etc.

Class A immunoglobulins are found in human blood (serum IgA), as well as in other biological fluids: tears, colostrum, saliva, etc. (secretory IgA). Secretory IgA exhibits antibacterial functions, but the effect of serum IgA has not yet been fully studied. Its deficiency is often associated with allergic and autoimmune diseases.

The amount of IgA (as well as IgG) increases when foreign bacteria enter the human body. These antibodies are detected no earlier than a week after the infection occurs. If effective treatment has been carried out, the IgA level gradually decreases over several months.

In the event of reinfection, the concentration of IgA increases again, and this time antibodies appear faster and in greater quantities than the first time.

The amount of IgA in the blood relative to the total amount of immunoglobulins is 15-20%. Their concentration and titer are usually less than the concentration and titer of IgG. With age, the concentration of IgA increases, and in adults their levels are higher than in children.

The presence of antibodies to Ureaplasma urealyticum indicates that the person has been infected with these bacteria. But it should be remembered that the connection between the presence of bacteria in the body and the disease has not been studied enough, so the presence of antibodies to ureaplasma is rather not decisive, but only an additional factor for making a diagnosis.

Method

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a laboratory immunological method for the qualitative or quantitative determination of various compounds, macromolecules, viruses, etc., which is based on a specific antigen-antibody reaction. The resulting complex is detected using an enzyme as a label to record the signal. Due to the undoubted advantages - ease of use, speed, objective automated recording of results, the ability to study immunoglobulins of various classes (which plays a role in the early diagnosis of diseases and their prognosis), ELISA is currently one of the main methods of laboratory diagnostics.

Reference values ​​- norm
(Ureaplasma urealyticum (ureaplasmosis), IgA antibodies, quantitative, blood)

Information regarding the reference values ​​of indicators, as well as the composition of the indicators included in the analysis, may differ slightly depending on the laboratory!

Norm:

Result: negative.

CP (positivity coefficient): 0 - 84.

The study is quantitative, the result is determined as “positive!” or “negative”, if the result is positive, a conclusion is issued with the quantitative value of the antibodies detected in the test material

Indications

• Diagnosis of infection with Ureaplasma urealyticum.
• Determination of the causative agent of urethritis (in combination with other data).
• Detection of latent ureaplasma infection.

Antibodies of the IgA class to the causative agent of urogenital ureaplasmosis (Ureaplasma urealyticum) are specific immunoglobulins produced in the human body during the period of pronounced clinical manifestations of ureaplasmosis and are a marker of this disease.

Synonyms Russian

IgA class antibodies to Ureaplasma urealyticum, class A immunoglobulins to ureaplasma.

English synonyms

Anti-Ureaplasma urealyticum IgA, U. urealyticum antibodies, IgA.

Research method

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

What biomaterial can be used for research?

Venous blood.

How to properly prepare for the study?

Do not smoke for 30 minutes before donating blood.

General information about the study

U. urealyticum is a bacteria that belongs to the mycoplasma group. These are unusually small organisms, the smallest free-living creatures on Earth.

In medicine, attention is paid to two types of ureaplasmas: U. urealyticum and U. parvum, since they are the ones that can cause diseases. However, in most cases, the presence of ureaplasma in a patient is not accompanied by any symptoms, i.e. these bacteria can be present in the microflora of a healthy person.

Ureaplasma is present in 40-70% of healthy women who are sexually active. They are less common in men. Transmission of ureaplasma is possible through sexual contact or childbirth.

However, sometimes these bacteria can cause urethritis - inflammation of the urethra. Note that U. urealyticum is only one of the possible causative agents of urethritis, which is also caused by gonococci (Neisseria gonorrhoeae), chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis), trichomonas (Trichomonas vaginalis), mycoplasma (Mycoplasma genitalium) and other microorganisms. It is impossible to determine the pathogen by external symptoms, so laboratory tests are needed for an accurate diagnosis (and selection of the correct treatment method).

Symptoms of urethritis

For men:

• pain, burning in the urethra,
• mucous discharge,
• pus in the urine.

Among women:

• vaginal discharge,
• pain when urinating,
• stomach ache.

Some researchers believe that there is a connection between ureaplasma and complications during pregnancy, but this has not been proven. Therefore, testing for ureaplasma during pregnancy is not necessary. However, many diagnostic laboratories recommend identifying U. urealyticum (and subsequently treating it) even if there are no symptoms of the disease.

Unproven consequences of ureaplasma infection: premature birth, stillbirth, infertility, chorioamnionitis, in newborns - meningitis, pulmonary dysplasia, pneumonia.

Once pathogenic microorganisms enter the body, it begins to fight them. One of the ways to fight is to produce antibodies (special immunoglobulin proteins). There are several types of immunoglobulins: IgG, IgM, IgA, etc.

Class A antibodies are present in humans in the blood (serum IgA) and in other biological fluids: saliva, tears, colostrum, etc. (secretory IgA). Secretory IgA exhibits an antibacterial effect, but the functions of serum IgA are not yet fully understood. It is known that its deficiency is often associated with autoimmune and allergic diseases.

Although the role of serum IgA is not entirely clear, it can be used to diagnose diseases. The level of IgA (as well as IgG) increases when foreign bacteria enter the body. These antibodies can be detected no earlier than a week after infection. If the treatment is successful - all bacteria are killed - then the IgA level gradually (over several months) decreases.

In case of repeated infection, the IgA level rises again, and antibodies appear in greater quantities and faster than the first time.

The amount of IgA in the blood is 15-20% (relative to all immunoglobulins). Their concentration and, accordingly, titer are usually less than the concentration and titer of IgG. At the same time, the level of IgA increases with age; in adults, their concentration is higher than in children.

The presence of Ureaplasma urealyticum means that a person has been infected with these bacteria. However, as already mentioned, the relationship between the presence of bacteria and the disease has not been sufficiently studied, so antibodies against ureaplasma are more likely an additional factor for diagnosis, rather than decisive.

What is the research used for?

• To determine whether a person is infected with the bacteria Ureaplasma urealyticum.
• To determine the causative agent of urethritis (in conjunction with other data).
• To identify hidden ureaplasma infection.

When is the test scheduled?

For symptoms of urethritis.

What do the results mean?

Reference values

Result: negative.

CP (positivity coefficient): 0 - 84.

Negative result

• There is no ureaplasma infection. It is likely that urethritis is caused by other pathogens.

Positive result

• A person is infected with ureaplasma (or has been infected in the past). It is possible that urethritis is caused by these bacteria. For an accurate diagnosis, the results of other tests are needed (in particular, tests to determine other pathogens of urethritis).

• Culture for Ureaplasma species with determination of titer and sensitivity to antibiotics
• Ureaplasma species, DNA quantitative [real-time PCR]

Who orders the study?

General practitioner, internist, infectious disease specialist, urologist, venereologist.

Literature

• Barski L. et al. Antibodies to various mycoplasmas in Patients with coronary heart disease. IMAJ Isr Med Assoc J. 2010; 12:396 – 399.
• Brill J. R. Diagnosis and Treatment of Urethritis in Men. Am Fam Physician. 2010; 81(7):873-878.
• Goldman's Cecil Medicine. 24 th ed. Goldman L, Schafer A.I., eds. Saunders Elsevier; 2011.
• Hrbacek J. et al. Serum antibodies against genitourinary infectious agents in prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia patients: a case-control study. BMC Cancer 2011; 11:53.
• Kim S. J. et al. The Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Urethritis and Cervicitis in Asymptomatic People by Use of Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction. Korean Journal of Urology 2011; 52:703-708.

Patients are interested in how antibodies to ureaplasma are determined. Ureaplasma urealiticum is the causative agent of the disease ureaplasmosis, which is microorganisms without a cell wall. Their reproduction is carried out by simple division. They find nutrients on human mucous tissues and are able to colonize the genitals and urethra. In its advanced form, the disease can spread to other internal organs.

How are antibodies detected in the blood?

Ureaplasma is divided into 2 types (biovars): and ureaplasma parvum. Each species is divided into 14 subspecies of this microorganism.

When a person is tested, several types of bacteria are often detected. As a rule, they belong to both biovars. Ureaplasma cells can also exhibit IgA protease activity, filling the mucous membranes.

In adults, the disease is more often transmitted through sexual contact. In children, microbes are transmitted from the mother through the placenta or during childbirth, when the fetus passes through the birth canal.

As the child grows older, the percentage of ureaplasma in his body decreases and only with the onset of active sexual life begins to increase again.

This type of microorganism can cause inflammatory reactions in the body and entail unpleasant consequences, for example:

• and men;
• miscarriages in pregnant women;
• low birth weight of the child;
• mortality from pneumonia;
• meningitis and other diseases in newborns.

In adult women, it can cause inflammation of the uterus and appendages with corresponding symptoms (itching, greenish discharge); in men, the reproductive system also suffers, but not so pronounced, due to their structure. In laboratory practice, ureaplasma is not isolated from healthy people as a pathogen, since most of its properties have not yet been studied.

Diagnosis of ureaplasmosis is made in the laboratory. To identify pathogenic microorganisms, various microbiological and PCR tests are used: test No. 444, 343MOCH, 303URO, etc., serological tests No. 264 and No. 265.

But often these studies do not provide specific information, since in a healthy person the disease may not yet develop and may be latent. In addition, there are many other bacteria that can give results similar to those given by Ureaplasma urealyticum.

The immune defense of the human body is triggered. After suffering from ureaplasmosis, a person develops immunity, that is, the body begins to produce antibodies to the presence of ureaplasma.

People with reduced immunity have a hard time with this disease and its relapses.

Antibodies to ureaplasma urealyticum can be found in patients without a clear clinical picture, but nevertheless, a positive test result is observed for the invasive form of microorganisms. This is indicated by an increased number of antibody titers.

How is the analysis deciphered?

It is worth paying attention to the fact that if the test result is negative, this does not mean that the person is not infected. Perhaps the disease is latent and the amount of antibodies produced by the body is not enough to determine the diagnosis. Therefore, doctors prescribe a repeat test after 1–2 weeks.

Igg antibodies can be present in the blood of a pregnant woman and transmitted to the child through the placenta, that is, the presence of antibodies already indicates that the newborn is infected.

How to recognize the test results without waiting for a doctor’s diagnosis? Clinics use 3 methods for diagnosing ureaplasma.

How to decipher the results yourself?

Deciphering an antibody test can be done independently if you know what the normal number of bacteria should be. The test form is similar to other blood collection forms. But, unlike, for example, a referral for a general blood test, the form for ureaplasmosis will indicate the names of bacteria and, often, their number. Also currently, next to the column of real values, a column with the normal value is entered.

The norm for tests for the presence of antibodies to microorganisms is a positive or negative result.

You also need to remember one more point. Ureaplasma urealiticum lives on the mucous tissues of all organs, so it is quite stupid to think that it cannot penetrate, for example, into the throat or nose. If a person feels causeless pain, itching, and difficulty breathing, this is an impetus to check for the presence of microorganisms.

You should never be afraid to get tested. The sooner the infected person learns about the infection, the sooner treatment will begin. And you should never prescribe treatment for yourself. Only a doctor can determine which microorganism is unstable.

Ureaplasma- primitive bacteria related mycoplasmas, which can live inside the cells of the host organism, including humans. Among ureaplasma There are species that can cause diseases of the genitourinary system in humans - ureaplasmosis.

Ureaplasmosis , along with chlamydia, gonorrhea And trichomoniasis, are one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Among sexually active adults, ureaplasma transmitted sexually. Children become infected from an infected mother during childbirth, while moving through the birth canal. Among children, about 5% are infected ureaplasma. The source of infection is a person who is sick ureaplasmosis, or healthy carrier ureaplasma. Moreover, these infections are often combined, complicating the treatment and diagnosis of the disease.

Ureaplasma can live in the body for years without causing any symptoms. Among sexually active women and men, asymptomatic carriage ureaplasma observed in 70% of cases. Basically, ureaplasma is one of the microorganisms that make up the normal microflora of the vagina. The disease begins when its content increases above a certain level. Ureaplasmosis associated with a number of diseases, primarily infertility, as a consequence of inflammatory processes in the pelvis and genitourinary system. Moreover, according to various sources ureaplasmosis causes severe damage to the fetus, including stillbirth, premature birth, chorioamnionitis (inflammation of the membranes of the fetus and infection of the amniotic fluid). In newborns infected ureaplasma Pneumonia and meningitis may develop.

When ureaplasma is detected, blood plasma cells synthesize a special class of proteins called antibodies or immunoglobulins. These proteins neutralize toxic substances that produce ureaplasma and slow down their reproduction. In addition, immunoglobulins signal the entire immune system about the invasion of a pathogenic microorganism. Antibodies of the IgA class determined 10-14 days after the onset of acute infection. This class of antibodies is responsible for local immunity - they bind to the surface of infectious agents and prevent them from attaching to the body's cells. Over the next 2-4 months, their content gradually decreases. Appearance IgA class antibodies To ureaplasma indicates the development of an acute infection.

It should be noted that with ureaplasmosis, the diagnostic value of detecting antibodies is low. The most common definition IgG antibodies And IgA received when diagnosing chronic forms of the disease and when the infection spreads to the entire body (generalized form). In this case, the analysis is repeated several times with a time interval of 2-3 weeks, and conclusions about the disease are made only when the antibody content increases by at least 4 times.