Macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance in Mycoplasma genitalium isolated from pregnant women in Russia and Belarus

Objective. To study epidemiology of resistance to macrolides and fluoroquinolones in Mycoplasmagenitalium isolated from pregnant women in Russia and Belarus. Materials and Methods. A total of 107 M. genitalium DNA samples isolated from pregnant women in Russia (n = 58) and Belarus (n = 49) was included in the study. In order to detect markers of macrolide or fluoroquinolone resistance, polymerase chain reaction in real time with the effect of quenching fluorescence of the probe by a primer was used. Confirmation of mutation type was performed using Sanger sequencing. Results. The prevalence of M. genitalium resistance mutations to macrolides in Russia (Tula, Smolensk) and Belarus (Vitebsk, Brest, Minsk) was 3.4% (2⁄58) and 6.1% (3⁄49), respectively. Markers of M. genitalium resistance to fluoroquinolones were detected in 5.2% (3⁄58) of samples from Russia and 8.2% (4⁄49) of samples from Belarus. The most common mutations associated with macrolide resistance were A2059G (n = 4), fluoroquinolone resistance – D84N (n = 3) and S80I (n = 3) (numbering according to E. coli). Conclusions. The prevalence of M. genitalium resistance markers isolated in pregnant women highlights a need for regular macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance surveillance.