• Ettore Cicinelli, Dominique De Ziegler, Roberto Nicoletti, Giuseppe Colafiglio, Nicola Saliani, Leonardo Resta, Donatella Rizzi, and Danila De Vito.
• Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. cicinelli@gynecology1.uniba.it
• Fertil. Steril. 2008 Mar 1; 89 (3): 677-84.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the type and etiopathogenic role of infectious agents detected in endometrial cultures obtained from women with chronic endometritis (CE).DesignProspective controlled study.SettingUniversity hospital.Patient(S)2190 women undergoing hysteroscopy for different indications.Intervention(S)Vaginal and endometrial samples were collected from 438 women with a CE diagnosis at hysteroscopy and 100 women with no signs of CE (controls).Main Outcome Measure(S)Histology and cultures for common bacteria, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Mycoplasma, and molecular biology testing for Chlamydia were performed.Result(S)We compared results of vaginal and intrauterine cultures obtained from women with and without CE. Histologic results were positive in 388 of these cases (88.6%), and at least one microorganism was found in 320 endometrial samples (73.1%). In the control group, histologic results and endometrial culture were positive in only 6% and 5% of cases, respectively. The most frequent infectious agents detected at the endometrial level were common bacteria (58% of cases). Ureaplasma urealyticum was detected in 10% and Chlamydia in only 2.7% of positive endometrial cultures. In only 143 (32.6%) cases were the same infectious agent isolated in endometrial and vaginal cultures.Conclusion(S)More than 70% of CE cases resulted from nongonococcal, nonchlamydial infections. Common bacteria and Mycoplasma were the most frequent etiologic agents. Vaginal cultures have low concordance with endometrial cultures.

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