Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 3, Number 1—March 1997
Synopsis

Mycoplasmas: Sophisticated, Reemerging, and Burdened by Their Notoriety

Joel B. Baseman*Comments to Author  and Joseph G. Tully†
Author affiliations: *The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA; †National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Frederick, Maryland, USA

Main Article

Figure 1

Transmission electron photomicrographs of the specialized tip organelle of cytadherence-positive M. pneumoniae demonstrating a) truncated structure with nap, b) clustering of cytadherence-related proteins (P1, B, C, P30) at the tip based on immunolabeling with ferritin and colloidal gold and crosslinking studies, and c) Triton X-100-resistant, cytoskeleton-like, structure with distinct bleb and parallel filaments (14,43,45,46).

Figure 1. Transmission electron photomicrographs of the specialized tip organelle of cytadherence-positive M. pneumoniae demonstrating a) truncated structure with nap, b) clustering of cytadherence-related proteins (P1, B, C, P30) at the tip based on immunolabeling with ferritin and colloidal gold and crosslinking studies, and c) Triton X-100-resistant, cytoskeleton-like, structure with distinct bleb and parallel filaments (14,43,45,46).

Main Article

References
  1. Tryon  VV, Baseman  JB. Pathogenic determinants and mechanisms. In: Maniloff J, McElhaney RN, Finch LR, Baseman JB, editors. Mycoplasmas: molecular biology and pathogenesis. Washington (DC): American Society for Microbiology, 1992:457-71.
  2. Krause  DC, Taylor-Robinson  D. Mycoplasmas which infect humans. In: Maniloff J, McElhaney RN, Finch LR, Baseman JB, editors. Mycoplasmas: molecular biology and pathogenesis. Washington (DC): American Society for Microbiology, 1992:417-44.
  3. Tully  JG. Current status of the mollicute flora of humans. Clin Infect Dis. 1993;17:S29.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. Lo  S-C. Mycoplasmas and AIDS. In: Maniloff J, McElhaney RN, Finch LR, Baseman JB, editors. Mycoplasmas: molecular biology and pathogenesis. Washington (DC): American Society for Microbiology, 1992:525-45.
  5. Nicolson  G, Nicolson  NL. Diagnosis and treatment of mycoplasmal infections in Gulf War illness-CFIDS patients. Intl J Occup Med Immunol Toxicol. 1996;5:6978.
  6. Tsai  S, Wear  DJ, Shih  JW-K, Lo  SC. Mycoplasmas and oncogenesis:persistent infection and multistage malignant transformation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995;92:10197201. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  7. Ekbom  A, Daszak  P, Kraaz  W, Wakefield  AJ. Crohn's disease after in-utero measles virus exposure. Lancet. 1996;348:5167. DOIGoogle Scholar
  8. Taylor-Robinson  D. Mycoplasmas in rheumatoid arthritis and other human arthritides. J Clin Pathol. 1996;49:7812. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  9. Bové  JM. Molecular features of mollicutes. Clin Infect Dis. 1993;17:S1031.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  10. Razin  S. Molecular properties of mollicutes: a synopsis. In: Razin S, Tully JG, editors. Molecular and diagnostic procedures in mycoplasmology, Vol I. New York: Academic Press, Inc., 1995:1-25.
  11. Dybvig  K, Voelker  LL. Molecular biology of mycoplasmas. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1996;50:2557. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  12. McGarrity  GJ, Kotani  H, Butler  GH. Mycoplasmas and tissue culture cells. In: Maniloff J, McElhaney RN, Finch LR, Baseman JB, editors. Mycoplasmas: molecular biology and pathogenesis. Washington (DC): American Society for Microbiology, 1992:445-54.
  13. Jacobs  E. Mycoplasma pneumoniae virulence factors and the immune response. Rev Med Microbiol. 1991;2:8390.
  14. Baseman  JB, Reddy  SP, Dallo  SF. Interplay between mycoplasma surface proteins, airway cells, and the protean manifestations of mycoplasma-mediated human infections. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1996;154:S13744.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  15. Murray  HW, Masur  H, Senterfit  LB, Roberts  RB. The protean manifestations of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in adults. Am J Med. 1975;58:22942. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  16. Deguchi  T, Gilroy  CB, Taylor-Robinson  D. Failure to detect Mycoplasma fermentans, Mycoplasma penetrans, or Mycoplasma pirum in the urethra of patients with acute nongonococcal urethritis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 1996;15:16971. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  17. Williams  MH, Brostoff  J, Roitt  IM. Possible role of Mycoplasma fermentans in pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet. 1970;ii:27080.
  18. Murphy  WH, Gullis  C, Dabich  L, Heyn  R, Zarafonetis  CJD. Isolation of Mycoplasma from leukemic and nonleukemia patients. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1970;45:24351.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  19. Schaeverbeke  T, Gilroy  CB, Bébéar  C, Dehais  J, Taylor-Robinson  D. Mycoplasma fermentans, but not M. penetrans, detected by PCR assays in synovium from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic disorders. J Clin Pathol. 1996;41:3114.
  20. Katseni  VL, Gilroy  CB, Ryait  BK, Ariyoshi  K, Bieniasz  PB, Weber  JN, Mycoplasma fermentans in individuals seropositive and seronegative for HIV-1. Lancet. 1993;341:2713. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  21. Chingbingyong  MI, Hughes  CV. Detection of Mycoplasma fermentans in human saliva with a polymerase chain reaction-based assay. Arch Oral Biol. 1996;41:3114. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  22. Lo  SC, Dawson  MS, Newton  PB III, Sonoda  MA, Shih  JW, Engler  WF, Association of the virus-like infectious agent originally reported in patients with AIDS with acute fatal disease in previously healthy non-AIDS patients. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1989;41:36476.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  23. Tully  JG, Taylor-Robinson  D, Cole  RM, Rose  DL. A newly discovered mycoplasma in the human urogenital tract. Lancet. 1981;i:128891. DOIGoogle Scholar
  24. Tully  JG, Taylor-Robinson  D, Rose  DL, Furr  PM, Graham  CE, Barile  MF. Urogenital challenge of primate species with Mycoplasma genitalium and characteristics of infection induced in chimpanzees. J Infect Dis. 1986;153:104654.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  25. Dallo  SF, Chavoya  A, Su  CJ, Baseman  JB. DNA and protein sequence homologies detected between the adhesins of Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 1989;57:105965.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  26. Palmer  HM, Gilroy  CB, Thomas  BJ, Naidoo  ROM, Taylor-Robinson  D. Development and evaluation of the polymerase chain reaction to detect Mycoplasma genitalium. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1991;77:199204. DOIGoogle Scholar
  27. Horner  PJ, Gilroy  CB, Thomas  BJ, Naidoo  ROM, Taylor-Robinson  D. Association of Mycoplasma genitalium with acute non-gonococcal urethritis. Lancet. 1993;342:5825. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  28. Deguichi  T, Komeda  H, Yasuda  M, Tada  K, Iwata  H, Asano  M, Mycoplasma genitalium in non-gonococcal urethritis. Int J STD AIDS. 1995;6:1446.
  29. Jensen  SJ, Hansen  HT, Lind  K. Isolation of Mycoplasma genitalium strains from the male urethra. J Clin Microbiol. 1996;34:28691.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  30. Taylor-Robinson  D. The history and role of Mycoplasma genitalium in sexually transmitted diseases. Genitourin Med. 1995;71:18.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  31. Baseman  JB, Dallo  SF, Tully  JG, Rose  DL. Isolation and characterization of Mycoplasma genitalium strains from the human respiratory tract. J Clin Microbiol. 1988;26:22669.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  32. De Barbeyrac  B, Bernet-Poggi  C, Febrer  F, Renaudin  H, Dupon  M, Bebear  C. Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Mycoplasma genitalium in clinical samples by polymerase chain reaction. Clin Infect Dis. 1993;17(Supp1):S839.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  33. Tully  JG, Rose  DL, Baseman  JB, Dallo  SF, Lazzell  AL, Davis  CP. Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Mycoplasma genitalium mixture in synovial fluid isolate. J Clin Microbiol. 1995;33:18515.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  34. Taylor-Robinson  D, Gilroy  CB, Horowitz  S, Horowitz  J. Mycoplasma genitalium in the joints of two patients with arthritis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 1994;13:10669. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  35. Furr  PM, Taylor-Robinson  D, Webster  ADB. Mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas in patients with hypogammaglobulinemia and their role in arthritis: microbiological observations over twenty years. Ann Rheum Dis. 1994;53:1837. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  36. Gelfand  EW. Unique susceptibility of patients with antibody deficiency to Mycoplasma infection. Clin Infect Dis. 1993;17:S2503.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  37. Mokhbat  JE, Person  PK, Sabath  LD, Robertson  JA. Peritonitis due to Mycoplasma hominis in a renal transplant patient. J Infect Dis. 1982;146:713.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  38. Burdge  DR, Reid  GD, Reeve  CE, Robertson  JA, Stemke  GW, Bowie  WR. Septic arthritis due to dual infection with Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum. J Rheumatol. 1988;15:3668.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  39. Luttrell  LM, Kanj  SS, Corey  GR, Lins  RE, Spinner  RJ, Mallon  WJ, Mycoplasma hominis septic arthritis: two case reports and review. Clin Infect Dis. 1994;19:106770.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  40. Gass  R, Fisher  J, Badesch  D, Zamora  M, Weinberg  A, Melsness  H, Donor-to-host transmission of Mycoplasma hominis in lung allograft recipients. Clin Infect Dis. 1996;22:5678.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  41. Bonilla  HF, Chenoweth  CE, Tully  JG, Blythe  LK, Robertson  J, Ognenovski  VM, Mycoplasma felis septic arthritis in a patient with hypogammaglobulinemia. Clin Infect Dis. In press.
  42. Yechouron  A, Lefebre  J, Robson  HG, Rose  DL, Tully  JG. Fatal septicemia due to Mycoplasma arginini: a new human zoonosis. Clin Infect Dis. 1992;15:4348.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  43. Baseman  JB. The cytadhesins of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and M. genitalium. In: Rottem S, Kahane I, editors. Subcellular biochemistry. New York: Plenum Press, 1993;243-59.
  44. Kirchhoff  H, Rosegarten  R, Lotz  W, Fischer  M, Lopatta  D. Flask-shaped mycoplasmas: properties and pathogenicity for man and animals. Isr J Med Sci. 1984;10:84853.
  45. Gobel  U, Speth  V, Bredt  W. Filamentous structures in adherent Mycoplasma pneumoniae cells treated with nonionic detergents. J Cell Biol. 1981;91:53743. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  46. Krause  DC. Mycoplasma pneumoniae cytadherence: unravelling the tie that binds. Mol Microbiol. 1996;20:24753. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  47. Su  CJ, Tryon  VV, Baseman  JB. Cloning and sequence analysis of cytadhesin gene (P1) from Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 1987;55:30239.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  48. Dallo  SF, Chavoya  A, Baseman  JB. Characterization of the gene for a 30-kilodalton adhesin-related protein of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 1990;58:41635.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  49. Hu  PC, Schaper  U, Collier  AM, Clyde  WA, Horikawa  M, Huang  YS, A Mycoplasma genitalium protein resembling the Mycoplasma pneumoniae attachment protein. Infect Immun. 1987;55:112631.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  50. Reddy  SP, Rasmussen  WG, Baseman  JB. Molecular cloning and characterization of an adherence-related operon of Mycoplasma genitalium. J Bacteriol. 1995;177:594351.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  51. Inamine  JM, Loechel  S, Gilbert  AM, Barile  MF, Hu  PC. Nucleotide sequence of the MgPa (mgp) operon of Mycoplasma genitalium and comparison to the P1 (mpp) operon of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Gene. 1989;82:25967. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  52. Goulet  M, Dular  R, Tully  JG, Billowes  G, Kasatiya  S. Isolation of Mycoplasma pneumoniae from the human urogenital tract. J Clin Microbiol. 1995;33:28235.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  53. Reddy  SP, Rasmussen  WG, Baseman  JB. Isolation and characterization of transposon Tn 4001-generated, cytadherence-deficient transformants of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Mycoplasma genitalium. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 1996;15:199211. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  54. Su  CJ, Chavoya  A, Baseman  JB. Regions of Mycoplasma pneumoniae cytadhesin P1 structural gene exist as multiple copies. Infect Immun. 1988;56:315761.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  55. Dallo  SF, Baseman  JB. Adhesin gene of Mycoplasma genitalium exists as multiple copies. Microb Pathog. 1991;10:47580. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  56. Peterson  SN, Bailey  CC, Jensen  JS, Borre  MB, King  ES, Bott  KF, Characterization of repetitive DNA in the Mycoplasma genitalium genome: possible role in the generation of antigenic variation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995;92:1182933. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  57. Dallo  SF, Horton  JR, Su  CJ, Baseman  JB. Restriction fragment length polymorphism in the cytadhesin P1 gene of human clinical isolates of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 1990;58:201720.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  58. Su  CJ, Chavoya  A, Dallo  SF, Baseman  JB. Sequence divergency of the cytadhesin gene of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 1990;58:266974.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  59. Su  CJ, Dallo  SF, Baseman  JB. Possible origin of sequence divergence in the P1 cytadhesin gene of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 1993;61:81622.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  60. Dallo  SF, Su  CJ, Horton  JR, Baseman  JB. Identification of P1 gene domain containing epitope(s) mediating Mycoplasma pneumoniae cytadherence. J Exp Med. 1988;167:71823. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  61. Gerstenecker  B, Jacobs  E. Topographical mapping of the P1-adhesin of Mycoplasma pneumoniae with adherence-inhibiting monoclonal antibodies. J Gen Microbiol. 1990;136:4716.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  62. Dallo  SF, Lazzell  AL, Chavoya  A, Reddy  SP, Baseman  JB. Biofunctional domains of the Mycoplasma pneumoniae P30 adhesin. Infect Immun. 1996;64:2595601.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  63. Layh-Schmitt  G, Hilbert  H, Pirkl  E. A spontaneous hemadsorption-negative mutant of Mycoplasma pneumoniae exhibits a truncated adhesin-related 30-kilodalton protein and lacks the cytadherence-accessory protein HMW1. J Bacteriol. 1995;177:8436.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  64. Reddy  SP, Rasmussen  WG, Baseman  JB. Correlations between Mycoplasma pneumoniae sensitivity to cyclosporin A and cyclophilin-mediated regulation of mycoplasma cytadherence. Microb Pathog. 1995;20:15569. DOIGoogle Scholar
  65. Biberfeld  G. Infection sequelae and autoimmune reactions in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. In: Razin S, Barile MF, editors. The Mycoplasmas Vol. IV. New York: Academic Press, 1985:293-311.
  66. Cunningham  MW. Molecular mimicry: bacterial antigen mimicry. In: Bona CA, Siminovitch K, Theofilopoulos AN, Zanetti M, editors. The pathology of autoimmunity. New York: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1993:245-56.
  67. Bisset  LR. The Mycoplasma genitalium adhesin protein and several human class II MHC proteins exhibit sequence homology: possible ramifications for the development of autoimmunity. Autoimmunity. 1992;14:1678. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  68. Root-Bernstein  RS, Hobbs  SH. Homologies between mycoplasma adhesion peptide, CD4 and class II MHC proteins: a possible mechanism for HIV-mycoplasma synergism in AIDS. Res Immunol. 1991;142:51923. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  69. Cole  BC. Mycoplasma interactions with the immune system: implications for disease pathology. ASM News. 1996;62:4715.
  70. Rawadi  G, Roman-Roman  S. Mycoplasma membrane lipoproteins induce proinflammatory cytokines by a mechanism distinct from that of lipopolysaccharide. Infect Immun. 1996;64:63743.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  71. Theiss  P, Karpas  A, Wise  KS. Antigenic topology of the P29 surface lipoprotein of Mycoplasma fermentans: differential display of epitopes results in high-frequency phase variation. Infect Immun. 1996;64:18009.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  72. Baseman  JB, Lange  M, Criscimagna  NL, Girón  JA, Thomas  CA. Interplay between mycoplasmas and host target cells. Microb Pathog. 1995;19:10516. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  73. Girón  JA, Lange  M, Baseman  JB. Adherence, fibronectin binding, and induction of cytoskeleton reorganization in cultured human cells by Mycoplasma penetrans. Infect Immun. 1996;64:197208.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  74. Blanchard  A, Montagnier  L. AIDS-associated mycoplasmas. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1994;48:687712. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  75. Wang  RY-H, Shih  JW-K, Weiss  SH, Grandinetti  T, Pierce  PF, Lange  M, Mycoplasma penetrans infection in male homosexuals with AIDS: high seroprevalence and association with Kaposi's Sarcoma. Clin Infect Dis. 1993;17:7249.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  76. Grau  O, Slizewicz  B, Tuppin  P, Launay  V, Bourgeois  E, Sagot  N, Association of Mycoplasma penetrans with human immunodeficiency virus infection. J Infect Dis. 1995;172:67281.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  77. Paton  GR, Jacobs  JP, Perkins  FT. Chromosome changes in human diploid-cell cultures infected with Mycoplasma. Nature. 1966;207:435. DOIGoogle Scholar
  78. Macpherson  I, Russell  W. Transformations in hamster cells mediated by mycoplasmas. Nature. 1966;210:13435. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  79. Kangro  HO, Chong  SKF, Hardiman  A, Heath  RB, Walker-Smith  JA. A prospective study of viral and mycoplasma infections in chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Gastroenterology. 1990;98:54953.PubMedGoogle Scholar

Main Article

Page created: December 21, 2010
Page updated: December 21, 2010
Page reviewed: December 21, 2010
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external