METAMYCOPLASMA HOMINIS (PREVIOUSLY MYCOPLASMA HOMINIS) AND UREAPLASMA SPECIES CULTURE

​Urogenital samples:
-Urethral swabs
-Prostatic secretions
-Semen
-Urinary calculi
-Cervical swabs
-High vaginal swabs
-Endometrial tissue
-Tubal samples
-Fluid from the pouch of Douglas

Respiratory samples (neonates only):
-Nasopharyngeal
-Throat secretions
-Endotracheal secretions
-BAL

Samples from sterile sites:
-Blood
-CSF
-Joint fluid
-Fluid or tissue from other sterile sites

Swabs

When swabs are obtained from patients, care should be taken to sample as many cells as possible, since both organisms are cell-associated.

Dacron or polyester swabs with plastic shafts are preferred. Wooden shaft cotton swabs should be avoided because of potential inhibitory effects. As the swabsticks may be toxic to both organisms, the swabs should be swirled and squeezed against the side of the container and then discarded. They should never be left in the container.

Special transport media (Biomerieux R1) should be requested from Client Services (Tel: 6321 4950/4952/4904) in preparation for taking the specimen which should be inoculated into the media.

Tissue and fluid from all sites:
Small pieces of tissue (< 5 g)
Small volumes (< 1 mL) of fluid/pus
These should be sent in the mycoplasma transport media to ensure viability of the organism. Large amounts of such samples may be sent in plain, sterile containers.

Blood:
10 mL of blood obtained aseptically should be inoculated into an Anaerobic blood culture bottle commonly available in the wards.

​All samples should be despatched to the laboratory as soon as possible. Specimens must be held at 4^oC (refrigerated) if there is a delay for a few hours in transporting the specimen.

​Culture

​Metamycoplasma hominis isolated;

No Metamycoplasma hominis isolated;

Ureaplasma species isolated;

No Ureaplasma species isolated

​3 to 12 days

​Monday – Saturday

​Urine samples are not suitable.