From the Guidelines
Ureaplasma infections should be treated with doxycycline as the first-line treatment at a dose of 100 mg twice daily for 7 days, as recommended by the European Association of Urology guidelines 1. The treatment of Ureaplasma infections is crucial to prevent complications such as urethritis, cervicitis, and pelvic inflammatory disease.
- The first-line treatment for Ureaplasma infections is doxycycline, which should be administered at a dose of 100 mg twice daily for 7 days 1.
- Alternative treatments include azithromycin, which can be given as a single dose of 1 gram or 500 mg on day 1 followed by 250 mg daily for 4 more days 1.
- It is essential to test for Ureaplasma infection before initiating treatment to confirm the presence of the infection rather than just colonization, as unnecessary antibiotic use can contribute to resistance 1.
- Sexual partners should be treated simultaneously to prevent reinfection, and patients should abstain from sexual activity until both they and their partners complete treatment.
- Treatment failures may occur due to antibiotic resistance, in which case alternative antibiotics such as moxifloxacin or metronidazole may be used as second-line options 1.
From the FDA Drug Label
Nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) caused by C. trachomatis or U. urealyticum: 100 mg, by mouth, twice a day for 7 days. The recommended dose of doxycycline for the treatment of Ureaplasma infection is 100 mg, by mouth, twice a day for 7 days 2.
- The treatment is for Nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) caused by C. trachomatis or U. urealyticum.
- The dosage is the same for adults.
- Doxycycline is effective against Ureaplasma urealyticum.
From the Research
Ureaplasma Treatment Options
- Azithromycin and doxycycline are commonly used antibiotics to treat Ureaplasma urealyticum infections 3, 4, 5, 6
- The efficacy of azithromycin in treating Ureaplasma urealyticum has been shown to be comparable to doxycycline in several studies 3, 4, 5, 6
- A systematic review and meta-analysis found that azithromycin has a comparable therapeutic effect on Ureaplasma urealyticum compared to controls, including doxycycline or placebo 6
Antibiotic Susceptibility
- Ureaplasma urealyticum has been shown to be susceptible to various antibiotics, including tetracycline, doxycycline, erythromycin, roxithromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin 7
- Moxifloxacin was found to be the most active agent in vitro against U. urealyticum, followed closely by levofloxacin 7
- Clarithromycin was found to be the most active macrolide against U. urealyticum 7
Treatment Duration and Dose
- The duration and dose of azithromycin may not affect its efficacy in treating Ureaplasma urealyticum 6
- A study found that azithromycin at a dose of 1 x 500 mg/6 days was more effective than a single dose of 1 g in patients with disease symptoms lasting for 3 weeks or longer 3
- Another study found that a 3-day regimen of azithromycin was more effective than a single dose or a 7-day regimen of doxycycline in treating non-gonococcal urethritis caused by Ureaplasma urealyticum 4