ICL 2.3: Mycoplasma & Ureaplasma Flashcards
what bacteria classification are mycoplasma and ureaplasma?
they don’t have a cell wall!
so they can’t be classified as gram +/- or have a shape
what are the major species of mycoplasma?
- genitalium
- hominis
- pneumoniae
what are the major species of ureaplasma?
- urealyticum
how big are mycoplasma?
smallest known free-living organisms
one of the smallest genomes of self-replicating organisms
2 – 3× the size of a medium-sized virus like adenovirus but half the size of e. coli
do mycoplasma have a cell wall?
NO
they are bacteria with no peptidoglycan cell wall
**this means they won’t gram stain!!!
instead they have a triple cell membrane
what is the cell membrane of mycoplasma made of?
mycoplasma doesn’t have PG cell wall
instead they have triple cell membrane and no cell wall
the cell membrane contains sterols, including cholesterol
***it’s the only bacterial membrane that contains cholesterol!!!
do gram positive bacteria have a cell wall?
yes
they have 1 cell membrane plus a thick cell wall made of peptidoglycan
do gram negative bacteria have a cell wall?
yes
they have 2 cell membrane layers plus a thin cell wall made of peptidoglycan
where are mycoplasma most commonly found?
- plants
- animals
- insects
what are the two important genuses in the mycoplasmataceae family?
- mycoplasma
2. ureaplasma
which mycoplasmataceae species cause human disease?
- mycoplasma pneumoniae
- mycoplasma genitalium
- mycoplasma hominis
- ureaplasma urealyticum
- mycoplasma fermentans, mycoplasma penetrans
what is the disease and site associated with mycoplasma pneumoniae?
site = respiratory tract
disease:
1. primary atypical pneumonia
- tracheobronchitis
- pharyngitis
what is the disease and site associated with mycoplasma genitalium?
site = genitourinary tract
disease:
1. urethritis
- cervicitis
- endometritis
what is the disease and site associated with mycoplasma hominis?
site: 1. genitourinary tract
2. oropharynx
disease:
1. pelvic inflammatory disease
- neonatal infections
what is the disease and site associated with ureaplasma urealyticum?
site = genitourinary tract
disease:
1. urethritis
- neonatal infections
what is the disease and site associated with mycoplasma fermentans, mycoplasma penetrans?
site = genitourinary tract
disease = possible HIV cofactor
are mycoplasmidae aerobic or anaerobic?
fastidious aerobic bacteria
what do mycoplasmidae need for growth?
- exogenous lipids
- sterols
- vitamins
- AA
**special media (SP4) with serum is needed to grow them in a lab; isolation isn’t commonly performed
how can you grow mycoplasmidae in a lab?
identification/diagnosis often fails because they’re very difficult to grow
it takes 2 − 6 weeks before colonies are visible
how can you see mycoplasmidae?
they’re really hard to grow in the lab
instead they’re viewed by dissecting microscope
collonies have “freid egg” appearance
how long does it take to start seeing symptoms of mycoplasma infections?
prolonged (1-3 wk) asymptomatic colonization is typical
how does m. pneumoniae cause infections? what’s the pathology?
- M. pneumoniae attaches to the ciliated respiratory epithelial cells
there are unique attachment structures at one end of the mycoplasma called P1 adhesin
P1 adhesin binds to TLR2 on respiratory epithelial cells at the base of the cilia
- after attachment, ciliary movement is stopped
- mycoplasma secrete H2O2 and O2-
- CARDS toxin is released
- cilia desquamate and RBCs lyse
lack of cilia leads to impaired airway clearance
this leads to a vigourous host immune response with lymphocytes, antibody production and cutokines –> *immune response correlates with disease severity
what is P1 adhesin?
it’s a unique attachment structure at one end of the mycoplasma that binds to TLR2 on respiratory epithelial cells
P1 adhesin can undergo antigenic variation!
what is CARDS toxin?
it’s released by mycoplasma pneumoniae
it causes epithelial cell death in the respiratory tract
how is mycoplasma pneumoniae transmitted?
transmitted person-to-person via respiratory droplets
*1-3 week interval between diseases in individuals; 20% are asymptomatic