Ginsburg, K S, Kundsin, R B, Walter, C W et al. · Arthritis and rheumatism · 1992 · DOI
This study looked for a type of bacteria called mycoplasma in urine samples from women with two different conditions: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, an autoimmune disease) and ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome). They found that mycoplasma was much more common in the SLE group (63%) than in the ME/CFS group (4.5%), suggesting these conditions may have different underlying causes.
This study is relevant to ME/CFS research because it suggests that mycoplasma infection patterns differ substantially between ME/CFS and other systemic conditions like SLE. Understanding whether mycoplasma plays a role in ME/CFS pathogenesis could inform investigation of infectious triggers or microbial contributions to disease mechanisms.
This study does not establish that mycoplasma causes either SLE or ME/CFS, only that colonization rates differ between groups. The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether mycoplasma colonization precedes symptom onset or results from disease-related immune dysfunction. The small CFS sample size (n=22) limits generalizability to the broader ME/CFS population.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Ginsburg, K S, Kundsin, R B, Walter, C W, & Schur, P H (1992). Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.. Arthritis and rheumatism. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.1780350412
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-ginsburg-1992-ureaplasma-urealyticum,
author = {Ginsburg, K S and Kundsin, R B and Walter, C W and Schur, P H},
title = {Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.},
journal = {Arthritis and rheumatism},
year = {1992},
doi = {10.1002/art.1780350412},
note = {PubMed: 1567492},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ginsburg-1992-ureaplasma-urealyticum},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ginsburg-1992-ureaplasma-urealyticum
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