Treatment of extragenital infections caused by Mycoplasma hominis.

Extragenital infections caused by Mycoplasma hominis and the indications for antibiotic treatment of such infections were reviewed. Invasion of the bloodstream in conjunction with urologic disease or trauma and metastatic spread of M. hominis to the central nervous system or the joints must be treated with effective drugs. In contrast, M. hominis bacteremia in women with febrile abortion and postpartum fever is often transient and self-limiting and does not generally require treatment. A tetracycline is generally the drug of choice in extragenital M. hominis infections. Although the various tetracycline analogues differ in their in vitro activity against M. hominis, they are all clinically effective. Clindamycin is an alternative to the tetracyclines. Clinical experience with the treatment of extragenital infections caused by M. hominis is still limited. The optimal duration of antibiotic therapy has not been established, but a review of the literature suggests a duration of 10-14 days. Sulfonamides, beta-lactam antibiotics, chloramphenicol, and aminoglycosides do not elicit a clinical response in patients with extragenital M. hominis infections.