Bacteria Genomes - MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a member of the class Mollicutes, meaning soft skin. Along with the other members of this class (Acholeplasma, Anaeroplasma, Asteroleplasma, Spiroplasma, and Ureaplasma) Mycoplasma are characterised by their unusually small genome as well as their complete lack of a bacterial cell wall. Because there is no cell wall they were at first thought to be virus, but are now considered primitive bacteria. Wall-less bacteria are much more difficult to kill because they lack the lipid layer surrounding them.

M. pneumoniae was first linked to respiratory infections in 1898 when Roux and Nocard isolated the organisms from bovine pleuropneumonia specimens. M. pneumoniae is currently thought to be responsible for both tracheobronchitis and primary atypical pneumonia.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae can be communicated through close personal contact via respiratory droplets. Some researchers have noticed a prevalence of infections occurring in the autumn and winter and there is evidence to suggest that pneumonia caused by a M. pneumoniae infection cycles through populations every 4 to 5 years.

There are 5 recently proposed (and controversial) associations between mycoplasma infections and human disease: AIDS, Malignant Transformation, Gulf War Syndrome, Crohn's Disease, and Rheumatoid Arthritis and other Human Arthritides.

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