Mycoplasma genitalium in Senegalese Patients Attending a Private Laboratory in Dakar

Introduction: The contribution of M. genitalium in genital infections in Senegal is poorly understood due to a limited access to molecular biology platforms. The aim of this study is to document the place of M. genitalium infection in men and women attending a private laboratory and to document its association with other STI pathogens. Materials and methods: M. genitalium detection was performed in genital secretions using RealLine Chlamydia trachomatis/ Mycoplasma genitalium (Biosynex, France) at BIO24 biomedical laboratory in Dakar (Senegal). In parallel, other genital pathogens including N. gonorrhoeae and common Mycoplasma species were detected through culture and microscopic analysis. Results: From March 2016 to November 2017, genital secretions from 3550 patients were analyzed. The mean age was 32 years (range: 16 to 71) with a sex-ratio of 0.13. Overall, M. genitalium, C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae and U. urealyticum were detected at a frequency of 1.7%, 2.82%, 0.5% and 11.86%, respectively. In women, C. albicans, bacterial vaginosis, T. vaginalis and M. hominis were found at a frequency of 19.6%, at 22%, 0.8% and 0.9%, respectively. M. genitalium infection was significantly more prevalent in men than women and more frequently associated with C. trachomatis than N. gonorrhoeae. One third of M. genitalium infected women presented also bacterial vaginosis signs and a high pH value (>4.5) of genital secretions was observed in all infected women. Conclusion: M. genitalium appeared as a second most common STI pathogen identified in patients attending a private laboratory, indicating the need to include its routine detection for STI suffering patients also in public health sector.