Mycoplasma genitalium
| Mycoplasmoides genitalium | |
|---|---|
| 3D whole cell model of a Mycoplasma genitalium cell. Note this model does not include the terminal attachment organelle. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Bacillati |
| Phylum: | Mycoplasmatota |
| Class: | Mollicutes |
| Order: | Mycoplasmatales |
| Family: | Mycoplasmataceae |
| Genus: | Mycoplasma |
| Species: | M. genitalium
|
| Binomial name | |
| Mycoplasma genitalium (Tully et al. 1983) Gupta et al. 2018
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Mycoplasma genitalium Tully et al. 1983 | |
Mycoplasma genitalium (also known as MG, Mgen, or since 2018, Mycoplasmoides genitalium) is a sexually transmitted, small pathogenic bacterium that lives on the mucous epithelial cells of the urinary and genital tracts in humans. Medical journals in 2007 and 2015 reported that Mgen is becoming more common. Resistance to multiple antibiotics, including the macrolide azithromycin, until recently the most reliable treatment, is becoming prevalent. The bacterium was first isolated from the urogenital tract of humans in 1981 and was identified as a new species of Mycoplasma in 1983. It increases the risk of HIV spread in men and women, with higher occurrences in those previously treated with azithromycin antibiotics.