Mgen: Causes, Treatment and Prevention

Mgen is a sexually transmitted bacterium that often causes no symptoms, though it can bring discharge, burning when urinating or pelvic pain. Many strains resist common antibiotics, so Mgen is harder to treat than chlamydia.

Key takeaways

• Most people who have it notice nothing, so testing is mainly for people with signs and their partners.
• A lab test finds it, and a positive sample is checked for resistance.
• Treatment is usually two antibiotics in sequence, then a test of cure.
• A Medio doctor can talk through testing and treatment by phone.

Mgen, the Mycoplasma Genitalium Infection

Mgen is an infection caused by a tiny bacterium passed on through sex. It lives in the urethra, cervix, womb or rectum, and is less common than chlamydia. The bacterium was identified in the 1980s, but it is very hard to grow in a lab, so the infection was rarely tested for until DNA tests arrived. Untreated, the infection can last for months.

Mgen Symptoms in Women and Men

Most people with Mgen have no symptoms. When symptoms appear in men, they come from the urethra: a clear or cloudy discharge, or burning when urinating. In women, symptoms usually come from the cervix: a change in discharge, bleeding after sex or between periods, pain during sex or a dull pelvic ache. Spread to the womb and tubes can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which needs prompt treatment.

How Mycoplasma Genitalium Passes Between Partners

Mgen passes between partners during vaginal or anal sex without a condom, and through close genital contact. M. genitalium lives in the genital tract and rectum rather than the throat, so oral sex seems to carry little risk. It is often passed on unknowingly, and can be caught again from an untreated partner. It does not spread through toilet seats, towels or kissing.

Treating Resistant Strains of Mycoplasma Genitalium

Many strains no longer respond to the antibiotic that once cured them, and resistance to the second choice is rising. The bacterium is diagnosed with a DNA test on a urine sample or a swab, and the lab usually checks a positive sample for resistance genes, which guides the doctor's choice.

Treatment usually has two steps: a week of one antibiotic to lower the amount of bacteria, then a second antibiotic chosen by the resistance result. These antibiotics are only available on prescription in Australia. Take every dose, avoid sex until the doctor says it is safe, and have a test of cure two to three weeks after the last tablet, because treatment sometimes fails.

How Testing for Mgen Works

Testing is simple and painless. Men usually give the first part of their urine stream, and women usually take a vaginal swab themselves, with an anal swab added after anal sex. The lab can test for mycoplasma and sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia from the same sample. A doctor arranges it with a pathology request, and results take a few days.

Lowering Your Risk of Mycoplasma Genitalium

Condoms every time for vaginal and anal sex lower the risk a lot, and so do fewer partners. After a positive result, current partners should be tested and treated at the same time, so M. genitalium is not passed back and forth. A standard STI check does not usually include this test, so mention any discharge, pain or a partner's diagnosis when you book.

Signs It Is Time to See a Doctor

See a doctor if you have discharge, burning when urinating, pelvic or testicular pain, unusual bleeding, or symptoms that come back after treatment for chlamydia or another bacterial STI. Severe pelvic pain with fever or vomiting needs care in person the same day, and call 000 if you feel very unwell.

Summary

Mgen is a sexually transmitted bacterium that often goes unnoticed and resists some antibiotics. This guide covered what it is, the signs, how it spreads, treatment, testing, prevention and when to see a doctor. If you are worried about Mgen, a Medio doctor can assess you by phone and, where the doctor thinks it right, send a pathology request, an eScript or a referral.

Frequently asked questions

How long can Mgen be dormant?

It can stay in the body for months, sometimes years, without signs, so a positive test does not show when it was caught. Untreated, it often persists, so anyone whose partner tests positive should be tested even without signs.

How do they test for MGen?

With a DNA test that looks for the bacterium's genetic material. Men pass the first part of their wee into a sample jar, women usually take a vaginal swab themselves, and the lab checks a positive sample for resistance.

Can a doctor help with Mgen?

Yes. A doctor can decide whether you need a test, arrange it, choose treatment from the result and check it worked. A Medio doctor does this in a telehealth consult by phone, with an eScript where the doctor thinks it right. Severe pelvic or testicular pain needs a doctor in person.

Why don't doctors test for Mycoplasma genitalium?

Australian guidance tests people with signs, such as discharge or pelvic pain, and the partners of someone who has it, but not people without signs. Many silent infections may never cause harm, and treating them all would speed up resistance to the few antibiotics that still work.

Is Mycoplasma genitalium worse than chlamydia?

It is harder to treat, but not clearly more harmful. Both can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, and chlamydia has the clearer link to infertility. Chlamydia is far more common and usually needs one course of antibiotics, while this bacterium often needs two and a test of cure.