Tested Negative but Still Burning?

You did the responsible thing. You noticed a symptom, maybe a slight burning when you pee, or an unusual discharge, and you went to the clinic.

The doctor ran a standard STI screen. A few days later, the text message arrived: “Negative for Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea.”

You should feel relieved. But you don’t. Because the symptoms are still there.

If this sounds like your situation, you are not imagining it. You likely have a “Phantom Infection”, a bacterial STI that standard clinic tests simply do not look for. It is called Mycoplasma, and it is rapidly becoming one of the most common causes of “Unexplained” urethritis in South Africa.

At Epicentre, we believe you shouldn’t have to live in pain just because a standard test is limited. Here is why your test came back negative, and how to finally find the cause.

The “Testing Gap”: Why Your GP Missed It

Most standard sexual health screens (especially at public clinics or basic GP visits) only look for the “Big Two”:

1. Chlamydia
2. Gonorrhoea

If you have anything else, a standard test will return a “Negative” result, even if you have an active bacterial infection.

Mycoplasma genitalium (Mgen) and its cousin Ureaplasma behave almost exactly like Chlamydia. They cause the same burning, the same irritation, and the same long-term risks (like infertility). However, because they are structurally different bacteria, a Chlamydia test cannot detect them.

Mycoplasma genitalium is a sexually transmitted bacterium. It is estimated that up to 1-3% of sexually active adults have it, making it potentially more common than Gonorrhoea, yet very few people have heard of it.

The Symptoms of Mgen:

• Men: Burning during urination (dysuria), watery discharge from the penis, or itching at the tip of the urethra.
• Women: Vaginal discharge, pain during sex, or pelvic pain (PID).
• The Trick: About 50% of cases are asymptomatic, meaning you can pass it on without knowing.

When a patient tests negative for Chlamydia but still complains of pain, many doctors will prescribe a general antibiotic (like Doxycycline) just in case.

This is often where the nightmare begins.

Mycoplasma bacteria lack a cell wall (the outer shell that many antibiotics attack). This makes them naturally resistant to common drugs and increasingly resistant to standard first-line treatments.

If you take the wrong antibiotic, you might temporarily suppress the symptoms, but you won’t clear the infection. You need a Specific Test to confirm it is Mycoplasma, so you can receive the specific treatment required to kill it.

We don’t believe in guessing. If you have symptoms, you need a panel that covers the “Hidden” infections.

Our Comprehensive STI Packages use advanced PCR (DNA) technology to hunt for the specific genetic markers of:

• Mycoplasma genitalium
• Mycoplasma hominis
• Ureaplasma urealyticum
• Ureaplasma parvum
• Trichomonas vaginalis

If you have “Tested Negative” but know something is wrong, don’t give up. You likely just need a deeper look.

Visit an Epicentre Lab today and request the Comprehensive Panel, or specifically request Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma Screening.

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