It is a genus of bacteria that lack a cell wall around their cell membrane.
Mycoplasma testing is primarily used to help determine if Mycoplasma pneumoniae is the cause of a respiratory tract infection. It may also be used to help diagnose a systemic infection that is thought to be due to mycoplasma. With DNA testing for M. pneumoniae, if the mycoplasma is present in the sample, then the person may have M. pneumoniae or may be colonized by the organism. If it is not detected, then the person may not have a M. pneumoniae infection or the microorganism was present in numbers too low to be detected. Mycoplasmas are the smallest free-living microorganisms known. They may exist as part of the normal flora found in the throat, upper respiratory tract, and genitourinary tract. Mycoplasmas are unlike other types of bacteria in many ways and can be difficult to culture and identify. Mycoplasmas are very small bacteria lacking cell walls that belong to various genera within the class Mollicutes. These flexible, pleomorphic organisms can be as small as 0.2 to 0.3 µm in diameter Figure 1a-A common feature is the variability in cell morphology related to the absence of a cell wall. SEM of mycoplasma filaments-Image courtesy of Dr. Michael Gabridge (Figure 1a). They are considered to be the smallest free-living organisms capable of self replication with a genome in the range of only 600-2200 kb. They have become one of the most prevalent and serious microbial contaminants within cell culture systems used in research and industry today. The term mycoplasma, from the Greek μυκής, mykes (fungus) and πλάσμα, plasma (formed), was first used by Albert Bernhard Frank in 1889 to describe an altered state of plant cell cytoplasm resulting from infiltration by fungus-like microorganisms. They can be parasitic or saprotrophic. Several species are pathogenic in humans, including M. pneumoniae, which is an important cause of atypical pneumonia and other respiratory disorders, and M. genitalium, which is believed to be involved in pelvic inflammatory diseases. Mycoplasmas-Stealth Pathogens. Mycoplasmas are a specific and unique species of bacteria-the smallest free-living organism known on the planet. The primary differences between mycoplasmas and other bacteria is that bacteria have a solid cell-wall structure and they can grow in the simplest culture media. Mycoplasmas are parasitic in nature because they rely on the nutrients found in host cells including cholesterol, amino acids, fatty acids and even DNA. They especially thrive in cholesterol rich and arginine-rich environments. Mycoplasmas can generally be found in the mucous membrane in the respiratory tract. Mycoplasma species are the smallest bacterial cells yet discovered, can survive without oxygen, and are typically about 0.1 µm in diameter. They can be parasitic or saprotrophic. Several species are pathogenic in humans, including M. pneumoniae, which is an important cause of atypical pneumonia and other respiratory disorders, and M. genitalium, which is believed to be involved in pelvic inflammatory diseases. Mycoplasma is a genus of bacteria which lack a cell wall.[1] Without a cell wall, they are unaffected by many common antibiotics such as penicillin or other beta-lactam antibi … otics that target cell wall synthesis. They can be parasitic or saprotrophic. Mycoplasmas can be described as pleomorphic because they do not have a rigid shape. They can stretch and change their shape because they lack murein or peptidoglycan in their … cell walls. In addition, mycoplasmas are the smallest bacteria capable of self reproduction. Mycoplasmas-Stealth Pathogens By Leslie Taylor January, 2001 Mycoplasmas are a specific and unique species of bacteria-the smallest free-living organism known on the planet. Mycoplasmas are parasitic in nature because they rely on the nutrients found in host cells including cholesterol, amino acids, fatty acids and even DNA. They especially thrive in cholesterol rich and arginine-rich environments. Mycoplasmas can generally be found in the mucous membrane in the respiratory tract. Mycoplasma is a genus of bacteria that lack a cell wall around their cell membrane. They can be parasitic or saprotrophic. Several species are pathogenic in humans, including M. pneumoniae, which is an important cause of atypical pneumonia and other respiratory disorders, and M. genitalium, which is believed to be involved in pelvic inflammatory diseases.
https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/mycoplasma/tab/test https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/mycoplasma/tab/sample http://www.bionique.com/mycoplasma-resources/faq/what-are-mycoplasmas.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycoplasma http://www.rain-tree.com/myco.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycoplasma http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_mycoplasmas http://www.rain-tree.com/myco.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycoplasma
what are mycoplasmas