Scientists in the United Kingdom have confirmed the existence of a
new sexually transmitted disease called mycoplasma genitalium.
The confirmation of the bacterial disease, which causes painful
urination among other things, as an STD comes more than two decades
after it was first discovered.
A team of fourteen researchers arrived at the conclusion after
conducting a national survey of the sexual lifestyles and attitudes of
British men and women.
The researchers said the study, which involved the testing urine
from 4,507 sexually experienced participants aged 16 to 44 years for MG,
“strengthens evidence that MG is an STI”.
They added, “MG was identified in over one per cent of the
population, including in men with high-risk behaviours in older age
groups that are often not included in STI prevention measures.”
The study found that men of black ethnicity were more likely to
test positive for MG and showed that the prevalence of the disease was
1.2 per cent in men and 1.3 per cent in women.
It also found that for both men and women, the disease was strongly
associated with reporting risk behaviours such as increasing the number
of total and new partners and unsafe se x in the past year.
Although it recorded no positive MG tests in men aged 16 to19,
prevalence peaked at 2.1 per cent in men aged 25–34 years, while
prevalence in was highest in 16 to 19-year-olds at 2.4 per cent and
decrease with age.
It added, “Men with MG were more likely to report previously
diagnosed gonorrhoea, syphilis or non-specific urethritis, and women
previous trichomoniasis.”
Health.com in an article on about the study quoted a clinical
associate professor, Raquel Dardik, as saying the symptoms for women
included irritation, painful urination and bleeding after se x, while
those for men included painful urination and watery discharge from the
pe nis.
Source: Genechy
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