Amnionitis and T strain mycoplasmemia

A 32-year-old woman was admitted during the seventh month of her first pregnancy which was achieved by insemination with donor semen. A twin pregnancy was diagnosed, and the water bag of one of the fetuses had ruptured spontaneously. The woman was afebrile during 7 days with penicillin-ampicillin treatment. Thereafter she developed symptoms of a generalized infection. Two successive blood cultures were positive for T strain Mycoplasma. After delivery the same organism was isolated from the blood of one of the infants and from throat and vulva smears from the other one, as well as from the urine of the sperm donor, while a urethral smear from the patient's husband was negative. Histologic examination showed focal purulent amnionitis of the water bag that was intact until delivery. This is the second reported case of T strain mycoplasmemia which demonstrates the potential virulence of this organism.