Faculty Publications

Lab Publications

Mollicute Diagnostics

Waites, K.B., Duffy, L.B., et al. Methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing for human mycoplasmas; approved guideline (CLSI Document M43-A). Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute, Wayne, PA. 2011

Waites, K. B., and Cécile Bébéar. “Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma. Manual of clinical microbiology.” (2019); 12th edition.

Waites, Ken B., and Cécile Bébéar. “Mycoplasma.” Manual of Commercial Methods in Clinical Microbiology: International Edition (2016): 195-213.

Waites, Ken B., Lynn B. Duffy, and Li Xiao. “Detection of Human Mycoplasmas and Ureaplasmas from Clinical Specimens by Culture and PCR.” Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook, Fourth Edition. American Society of Microbiology, 2016. 3-15.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Recommended review: Waites, K.B., Xiao, L., Liu, Y., Balish, M.F. and Atkinson, T.P., 2017. Mycoplasma pneumoniae from the respiratory tract and beyond. Clinical microbiology reviews, 30(3), pp.747-809.

Key article highlighting macrolide resistance in the USA:
Waites, K.B., Ratliff, A., Crabb, D.M., Xiao, L., Qin, X., Selvarangan, R., Tang, Y.W., Zheng, X., Bard, J.D., Hong, T. and Prichard, M., 2019. Macrolide-Resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae in the United States as Determined from a National Surveillance Program. Journal of clinical microbiology, 57(11), pp.e00968-19.

  • Totten, A.H., Leal, S.M., Ratliff, A.E., Xiao, L., Crabb, D.M. and Waites, K.B., 2019. Evaluation of the ELITe InGenius PCR Platform for Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Journal of clinical microbiology, 57(6), pp.e00287-19.
  • Alishlash, A.S., Atkinson, T.P., Schlappi, C., Leal, S.M., Waites, K.B. and Xiao, L., 2019. Mycoplasma pneumoniae Carriage With De Novo Macrolide-Resistance and Breakthrough Pneumonia. Pediatrics, 144(4), p.e20191642.
  • Waites, K.B., Xiao, L., Liu, Y., Atkinson, T.P. M. pneumoniae from the respiratory tract and beyond. Clin Microbiol Rev 30:747-809, 2017. 28539503
  • Xiao, L., Ptacek, T., Osborne, J.D., Crabb, D.M., Simmons, W.L., Lefkowitz, E., Waites, K.B., Atkinson, T.P., Dybvig, K. Comparative Genomic Analysis of M. pneumoniae. BMC Genomics 16:610, 2015. 26275904
  • Zheng, X., Lee, S., Selvarangen, R., Qin, X., Tang, Y-W., Stiles, J., Hong, T., Todd, K., Ratliff, A., Crabb, D.M., Xiao, L., Atkinson, T.P., Waites, K.B. Multicenter study of macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae in the United States. Emerg Infect Dis 21:1470-72, 2015. 26196107
  • Ratliff, A.E., Duffy, L.B., Waites, K.B. Comparison of illumigene Mycoplasma assay and culture for detection of M. pneumoniae in respiratory secretions. J Clin Microbiol 52:1060-63, 2014. 24430454
  • Waites, K.B., Xiao, L., Paralanov, et al. Molecular methods for the detection of Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma infections in humans. J Mol Diagn 14:437-50, 2012. 22819362
  • Xiao, L., Atkinson, T.P., Hagood, J.A., Makris, C., Duffy.L.B., Waites, K.B. Emerging macrolide resistance in M. pneumoniae in children: detection and characterization of resistant isolates with real-time PCR. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 28:693-98, 2009. PMC19633515


Mycoplasma genitalium
Recommended review: Bradshaw, C., Jensen, J.S., Waites, K.B.  New horizons in Mycoplasma genitalium treatment. Journal of Infectious Diseases 216(Suppl):S412-419, 2017.

Key article highlighting prevalence and resistance patterns in the USA:
Xiao, L., Waites, K.B., Van Der Pol, B., Aaron, K.J., Hook III, E.W. and Geisler, W.M., 2019. Mycoplasma genitalium infections with macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance-associated mutations in heterosexual African American couples in Alabama. Sexually transmitted diseases, 46(1), pp.18-24

  • Dionne-Odom J, Geisler WM, Aaron KJ, Waites KB, Westfall AO, Van Der Pol B, Xiao L, 2018. High Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Mycoplasma genitalium in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Men Who Have Sex With Men in Alabama. Clin Infect Dis, 66(5):796-798.
  • Harrison, S.A., Olson, K.M., Ratliff, A.E., Xiao, L., Van Der Pol, B., Waites, K.B. and Geisler, W.M., 2019. Mycoplasma genitalium Coinfection in Women With Chlamydia trachomatis Infection. Sexually transmitted diseases, 46(10), pp.e101-e104.
  • Glaser, A.M., Geisler, W.M., Ratliff, A.E., Xiao, L., Waites, K.B. and Gaisa, M., 2019. Two cases of multidrug-resistant genitourinary Mycoplasma genitalium infection successfully eradicated with minocycline. International journal of STD & AIDS, 30(5), pp.512-514.
  • Xiao, L., Waites, K.B., Wang, H., Van Der Pol, B., Ratliff, A.E. and Geisler, W.M., 2018. Evaluation of a real-time PCR assay for detection of Mycoplasma genitalium and macrolide resistance-mediating mutations from clinical specimens. Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease, 91(2), pp.123-125.


Mycoplasma hominis
Recommended review: Taylor-Robinson, D., 2017. Mollicutes in vaginal microbiology: Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum and Mycoplasma genitalium. Research in microbiology, 168(9-10), pp.875-881.

  • Waites, K.B., Schelonka, R.L., Xiao, L., Grigsby, P.L. and Novy, M.J., 2009, August. Congenital and opportunistic infections: Ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis. In Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine(Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 190-199). WB Saunders.
  • Waites, K.B., Crabb, D.M., Duffy, L.B. and Cassell, G.H., 1997. Evaluation of the Etest for detection of tetracycline resistance in Mycoplasma hominis. Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease, 27(4), pp.117-122.


Ureaplasma spp.
Recommended review: : Viscardi, R.M. and Waites, K.B., 2017. Ureaplasma urealyticum and Ureaplasma parvum. Congenital and Perinatal Infections, p.295.

  • Xiao, L., Crabb, D.M., Duffy, L. B., Glass, J.I., Waites, K.B. Chromosomal mutations responsible for fluoroquinolone resistance in Ureaplasma species in the United States. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 56:2780-83, 2012. 22371892
  • Xiao, L., Paralanov, V., Glass, J.I., Duffy, L.B., Robertson, J.A., Cassell, G.H, Chen, Y.Y., Waites, K.B. Extensive horizontal gene transfer in human ureaplasmas questions the utility of serotyping for diagnostic purposes. J Clin Microbiol 49:2818-26, 2011. 21697330
  • Xiao, L., Crabb, D.M., Duffy, L.B., Paralanov, V., Glass, J.I., Waites, K.B. Characterization of mutations in ribosomal proteins and 23S rRNA that confer resistance to macrolides in Ureaplasma species. Int J Antimicrob Agents, 37:377-79, 2011. PMC21353494
  • Merchan, L., Hassan, H., Terrin, M., Waites, K.B., et al. Pharmacokinetics, microbial response, and pulmonary outcomes of multi-dose intravenous azithromycin in preterm infants at risk for ureaplasma respiratory colonization. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 59:570-78, 2015. 25385115
  • Bharat, A., Cunningham, S.A., Scott Budinger, G.R., Kreisel, D., DeWet, C.J., Gelman, A.E., Waites, K., Crabb, D., Xiao, L., Bhorade, S., Ambalavanan, N., Dilling, D.F., Lowery, E.M., Astor, T., Hachem, R., Krupnick, A.S., DeCamp, M.M., Ison, M.G., Patel, R. 2015. Disseminated Ureaplasma infection as a cause of fatal hyperammonemia in humans. Sci Transl Med. 22;7(284):284re3.



UAB Diagnostic Mycoplasma Lab – Original Articles and Reviews 2009-2019