Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a rod-shaped, fastidious, strict anaerobe found in the respiratory tract.
Length = 150-200 nm
They have limited biosynthetic capabilities meaning that they use host cells to multiply and survive.
environment.
Can inhibit catalase in human cells :
Virulent M. pneumoniae completely inhibited catalase activity but non-virulent M. pneumoniae was less able to inhibit catalase activity (Almagor, 1983)
M. pneumoniae uses its tapered tail which has specific proteins related to adhesion, including P1 and P30
P40 and P90 are not adhesins but the loss of these proteins would prevent cytadherence​
Ecology
Mycoplasma pneumoniae are not found free in nature as they require a host cell to survive.Â
They also can be grown in an artificial growth medium but serum must be present to make sterols for their triple layered cell membrane.
No rigid cell wall allows the cells to change shape according to their environment.
The surface proteins on M. pneumoniae allow for adhesion and entry into host cells.
