Mycoplasma – Flashcards

* Mycoplamsa pneumoniae

* Mycoplasma hominis

* Mycoplasma urelyticum

Smallest, simplest, self replicate

No rigid cell wall, have a cholesterol cell membrane, can be many shapes

Can pass through some filters

Complex media needed, fastidious

Facultative anaerobes (except pneumoniae, aerobe)

Fried egg colonies on agar or broth, slow growth!

* Only human pathogens

*inhale aerosol particles, enter with lancelet ends

* Do not invade mucosa cilia movement inhibited

* Extracellular pathogen

* Cytoadhesins allows binding to sialic acid in respiratory epithelial cells>inflammation, necrosis

* H2O2 and superoxide ion produces w metabolism, can also inhibit host catalase

* Activate macrophage and stimulate cytokine production and lymphocyte activation

*cold (cross) aglutiniation with RBC, brain, heart, liver

* Outbreaks with people in close contact

*Atypical pneumonia, fever headache malaise>non productive cough> respiratory symptoms (x ray+ before symptoms!)

* 70-80% infections are tracheobronchitis

*rarely fatal

* Microscopy- not super useful do to lack of wall

* Culture-essential for definitive, sputum culture

* Serology (complement (4-6 wks after infection), cold agglut, ELISA)

* Tetracycline in adults erythromycin

* Hard to prevent du to long duration. No vaccines