Abstract: Objective To investigate Ureaplasma urealyticum in cervical specimens of gynecologic check-up population and female sex workers(FSW)and its biovars and serotypes.Methods The gynecologic check-up patients and female sex workers were screened using Uu liquid selective medium.The positive cases were then divided into biovars and serotypes by the means of PCR.Results Ninety-eight FSW and 164 gynecologic check-up patients were investigated.In the FSW group,89 cases(90.8%)were positive in culture,including biovar 164 cases(71.9%),biovar 1+27 cases(7.9%),biovar 218 cases(20.2%).In 71 biovar 1 positive cases,biovar 1+2 and coinfection of serotypes of biovar1were defined as mixed infection.Infection with single serotype of biovar 1 was defined as simple infection.So in 71 biovar1positive cases of FSW group,there were 17 mixed infections(23.9%)and 54 simple infections(76.1%).Simple infections were then subdivided into serotypes,including serotype 117 cases(31.5%),serotype 322 cases(40.7%),and serotype 615 cases(27.8%).In gynecologic check-up group,104 cases(63.4%)were culture positive,including biovar 197 cases(93.3%),biovar 27 cases(6.7%).In 97 biovar 1 positive cases,there were 11 mixed infections(11.3%)and 86 simple infections(88.7%).In 86 simple infections,there were serotype 122 cases(25.6%),serotype 337 cases(43.0%),and serotype 627 cases(31.4%).Conclusions The positive rate of Uu in FSW is higher than that of gynecologic check-up population(P<0.01).The positive rate of Uu biovar 2 in FSW is higher than that of control group(P<0.01).The mixed infection in sex workers is higher than that of gynecologic check-up population(P<0.05).There is no statistic difference in simple infection caused by serotypes of biovar1between the two group.

Key words: Ureaplasma urealyticum, Serotyping