The Underestimated Prevalence of Ureaplasma Infections: A Comprehensive Epidemiological Study in South Korea (2018-2020)
- 1 Department of Public Health Science, Dankook University Graduate School, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, Republic of Korea
- 2 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, Republic of Korea
- 3 Department of Medical Laser, Dankook University Graduate School of Medicine, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, Republic of Korea
- 4 Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Dankook University College of Health and Welfare, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Ureaplasma infections are frequently underestimated due to potential inaccuracies in data collection from symptomatic patients. This study aimed to accurately assess the prevalence of Ureaplasma Urealyticum (UU) and Ureaplasma Parvum (UP) infections among outpatients aged 0-70 years in South Korea between 2018 and 2020. A total of 59,381 clinical samples, including swabs and urine specimens, were collected and analyzed using multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction, for identifying UU and UP infections. The study revealed a significant prevalence of UU and UP infections, with 8,486 (14.2%) and 10,660 (17.9%) cases, respectively. The highest positive rates were observed among individuals aged 20-29 years. Notably, in women, infection rates with UP were substantially higher than with UU. Co-infections with both UU and UP were detected in 291 men and 612 women who tested positive for Ureaplasma infections. These findings underscore the elevated risk of Ureaplasma transmission in both adult and infant populations, highlighting the importance of understanding and addressing this often underestimated public health concern. This study contributes valuable data on Ureaplasma infections in the South Korean population, shedding light on their prevalence and distribution, which can further inform public health interventions.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajbbsp.2024.1.6
Copyright: © 2024 Jae Eun Choi, Bo Kyeung Jung, Eun Ju Oh and Jae Kyung Kim. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Keywords
- Multiplex Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Sexually Transmitted Disease
- Ureaplasma Urealyticum
- Ureaplasma Parvum