Mycoplasma genitalium

Mycoplasma genitalium
3D whole cell model of a Mycoplasma genitalium cell
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Mycoplasmatota
Class:	Mollicutes
Order:	Mycoplasmoidales
Family:	Mycoplasmoidaceae
Genus:	Mycoplasmoides
Species:	M. genitalium
Binomial name
Mycoplasmoides genitalium (Tully et al. 1983) Gupta et al. 2018[1]
Synonyms
Mycoplasma genitalium Tully et al. 1983[2]

Mycoplasma genitalium (also known as MG^[3], Mgen, or since 2018, Mycoplasmoides genitalium^[1]) is a sexually transmitted,^[4] small and pathogenic bacterium that lives on the mucous epithelial cells of the urinary and genital tracts in humans.^[5] Medical reports published in 2007 and 2015 state that Mgen is becoming increasingly common.^[6][7] Resistance to multiple antibiotics, including the macrolide azithromycin, which until recently was the most reliable treatment, is becoming prevalent.^[6][8] The bacteria was first isolated from the urogenital tract of humans in 1981,^[9] and was eventually identified as a new species of Mycoplasma in 1983.^[2] It can cause negative health effects in men and women. It also increases the risk for HIV spread^[10] with higher occurrences in those previously treated with the azithromycin antibiotics.^[6][11]