Polymerase chain reaction versus culture for detection ofUreaplasma urealyticum andMycoplasma hominis in the urogenital tract of adults and the respiratory tract of newborns

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Abstract
The efficiency of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was compared with that of culture for detection ofUreaplasma urealyticum andMycoplasma hominis in 726 clinical specimens comprising 189 gynecological samples, 362 urological samples, and 175 samples from newborn infants. The sensitivity of PCR versus culture was 95% for both organisms, while the sensitivity of culture versus PCR was 91% forUreaplasma urealyticum and 84% forMycoplasma hominis. Furthermore, PCR tests were faster than culture tests, allowing the time to diagnosis to be reduced from two to five days to 24 h.