A new test to detect a superbug similar to chlamydia is being rolled out across the nation – and experts are urging those with symptoms including painful urination to get checked.

Mycoplasma genitalium is thought to affect about 400,000 Australians, but many people have never heard of it.

Mycoplasma genitalium could affect hundreds of thousands of Australians, but few know it exists. Credit:Andrew Darby

The bacterium can cause painful urination, itching and bleeding in the rectum, and in women has been linked to pelvic inflammatory disease, spontaneous miscarriage and infertility.

Up until recently only a small number of GPs have been able to access Mycoplasma genitalium testing, despite experts believing infection rates are similar to chlamydia (about 1 to 2 per cent of the population).