1.INTRODUCTION 2.HISTORY 3.MORPHOLOGY 4.STRUCTURE 5.CLASSIFICATION 6.CHARACTERSTICS 7.DISEASES 8.CONCLUSION REFRENCES Mycoplasmas are prokaryotic , without cell wall & have been placed under the class Mollicutes & the order Mycoplasmatales. Mycoplasma are the smallest microorganism which have been known to cause a number of disease in animals &human kind. The cells are bounded by a soft trilamellar lipoproteinaceous unit membrane containing sterols. Because of their plasticity , they can pass through bacterial filters & have often been mistaken for viruses.

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By
KAUSHAL KUMAR SAHU
Assistant Professor (Ad Hoc)
Department of Biotechnology
Govt. Digvijay Autonomous P. G. College
Raj-Nandgaon ( C. G. )

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1.INTRODUCTION
2.HISTORY
3.MORPHOLOGY
4.STRUCTURE
5.CLASSIFICATION
6.CHARACTERSTICS
7.DISEASES
8.CONCLUSION
REFRENCES

3.  Mycoplasmas are prokaryotic , without cell wall &
have been placed under the class Mollicutes & the
order Mycoplasmatales.
 Mycoplasma are the smallest microorganism
which have been known to cause a number of disease
in animals &human kind.
 The cells are bounded by a soft trilamellar
lipoproteinaceous unit membrane containing sterols.
Because of their plasticity , they can pass through
bacterial filters & have often been mistaken for
viruses.
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Kingdom : Bacteria
Phylum :Firmicutes
Class : Mollicutes
Order : Mycoplasmatales
Family : Mycoplasmataceae
Genus : Mycoplasma
SPECIES:
M. myocides
M. genitalium
M. hominis
M. hyopneumoniae

5. Louis Pasteur first noticed mycoplasmas while
observing the causative agent of
pleuropneumonia in culture.
 Mycoplasma was first reported by Nocard &
Roux (1889). In the year 1930s,it became
evident that mycoplasmas cannot be defined as
viruses.
They were first isolated from pleural fluid of cattles suffering from
bovine pleuropneumonia that's why it is known as PPLO
pleuropneumonia like organism.
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6.  Mycoplasmas are the smallest free living microorganisms,& one of the
most pleomorphic; varying in shape from spherical or slightly ovoid.
 They are about 125-250nm in diameter during early experimental
growth phases.
 They may be secondary branched filaments of uniform diameter
ranging the length from a few to 150nm.
 In the late growth phases they may be in the form of chains of coccoid
bodies.
 A dense corpuscles like structure later develop in the filament which
transformed into chains of spherical bodies.
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7. Mycoplasma refers to a genus of bacteria that lack a cell wall
 Mycoplasma have lipoprotein membrane that is three layered
membrane.
MYCOPLASMA
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8.  Since mycoplasma can pass through many filters
& grow in a media which donot contain living
tissues.
Therefore they are considered to be
microorganisms intermediate between bacteria &
viruses.
 Chemically, they are much closer to bacteria
because they
possess 4% DNA & 8% RNA.
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 All the species require sterols for growth. None of the species hydrolyze
urea or insulin. They donot grow at 45-62c or at pH 1.0 to 3.0.
The organisms grow only in isotonic or hypertonic media (with sorbitol
or sucrose & requires purine & pyrimidines; as well as lipids & sterols.
 They lack cytochromes suggests a very limited respiratory chain.
 Mycoplasma are resistant to antibiotics and also sensitive to osmotic
shocks.
Locomotion
 The cells are non motile but gliding motility has
been observed in few species.
 One end of M.pneumoniae contains a special
terminal structure that apparently is responsible
for locomotion.

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b. Resistance
 Mycoplasma generally resemble non-sporing bacteria in heat
resistance but some strains are more sensitive, being destroyed at
45c in 15min.
 They are relatively resistant to lysis by osmotic shock but are
very sensitive to lysis by surface active agents & lipolytic agents.
 They are resistant to penicillin & cephalosporin as well as to
lysosomes that act in the bacterial cell walls but are sensitive to
tetracyline & many other antibiotics.

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The actual method of reproduction in mycoplasma has
not been yet proved.
This adult cell may reproduce by the following two ways:
1.by binnary fission of adult cell.
2 daughter cells

12. 2.By forming elementary bodies.
*form small elementary bodies ,when mature
separate from parent cell and grow.
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elementary bodies
Large cells with developing elementary bodies
intermediate cell
parent cell

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i. The mycoplasma are characterized by their lack of cell
wall,the outer boundary of the cells being the
cytoplasmic membrane.
ii. Therefore their cells possess plasticity & can assume
various shapes ranging from spheres to branched
filamants.
iii. They are unicellular,invariably non-motile (except
Spiroplasma), prokaryotic organisms incapable of
synthesizing cell wall of cell wall materials.
iv.They are susceptible to lysis by osmotic shocks
caused by sudden dilution of the medium with water.
v. Theycan grow and reproduce independently.
vi. They produce disease in both plants and animals.

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Plant diseases
 Plant diseases assosiated with mycoplasma in the sieve tubes of
the plants have one feature in common that is, upsetting the
homonal balance resulting in witche’s broom growth
. Some diseases are:big bud of tomato,sandal spike, strike disease of
sugarcane,witche's broom of potato etc..
SYMPTOMS:
leaves become small and yellow.
calyx become discoloured,floral bud enlarges.
usually fruit are not formed but if formed they are seedless or seeds
fail to germinate.

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 Parasitic mycoplasmas exhibit host specificity. They generally produce
surface infections by adhering to the mucosa of the
respiratory,gastrointestinal & genitourinary tracts.
 Mycoplasma cause two types of disease in humans - pneuomnia & genital
infections.
 Mycoplasmal pneumonia disease is typically a tracheobronchitis.
 The onset is gradual with fever, headache & sore throat. Paroxyemal
cough may occur with blood tinged suptum.
 Rashes, meningitis, encephalites & hemolytic anemia are other
complications seen.
 Spread is favoured by close contact, as in families & most typically
among military recruits.
 The mycoplasma may remain in throat for two or more months after
recovery from the disease.
D
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MAMMALS:

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 Mycoplasmas are prokaryotic,without cellwall & have been placed
under the
class Mollicutes & the order Mycoplasmatales.
 Mycoplasma was first reported by Nocard & Roux (1889).
 They are smallest free living organisms & one of the most
pleomorphic,varying in shape from spherical or slightly ovoid.
 Mycoplasma have three layered lipoprotein membrane.
 Mycoplasmas are sensitive to supersonic vibrations,dissosiations &
most of the physical environmental factors.
Nucleoid present in centre of cell.Nuclear membrane and nucleolous
remain absent.

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OTHER SOURCES- WEBLINKS
BROCK 8 TH EDITION
NESTER.ROBERTS.NESTER
CAREER POINT