Mycoplasmas are the smallest known free-living form of life, and differ from bacteria in a number of characteristics. They are widely distributed in the animal kingdom and may give rise to both acute and latent infections as well as being present as normal flora. The three principal rodent pathogens so far described are Mycoplasma pulmonis, Mycoplasma arthritidis and Mycoplasma neuroiyticum. The diseases associated with these organisms are discussed.
References
1.
BeeuwkesH., & CollierW. A. (1942). Studies on arthrotropic pleuropneumonia-like micro-organisms. J. infect. Dis.70, 1.
2.
ButlerM., & LeachR. H. (1964). A mycoplasma which induces acidity and cytopathic effect in tissue culture. J. gen. Microbiol.34, 285.
3.
ChanockR. M., HayflickL., & BarileM. F. (1962). Growth on artificial medium of an agent associated with atypical pneumonia and its identification as a PPLO. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.48, 41.
4.
ClydeW. A. (1964). Mycoplasma species identification based upon growth inhibition by specific antisera. J. Immun.92, 958.
5.
DeebB. J., & KennyG. E. (1966). Characterisation of mycoplasma from rabbits. Bact. Proc. 1966, 48.
6.
DienesL. (1939). “L” organism of Klieneberger and Streptobacillus moniliformis.J. infect. Dis.65, 24.
7.
EdwardD. G.ff. (1940). The occurrence in normal mice of pleuropneumonia-like organisms capable of producing pneumonia. J. Path. Bact.50, 409.
8.
EdwardD. G.ff. (1947). Catarrh of the upper respiratory tract in mice and its association with pleuropneumonia-like organisms. J. Path. Bact.59, 209.
9.
EdwardD. G.ff. (1954). The pleuropneumonia group of organisms: a review, together with some new observations. J. gen. Microbiol.10, 27.
10.
EdwardD. G. ff., & FitzgeraldW. A. (1954). Inhibition of growth of pleuropneumonia-like organisms by antibody. J. Path. Bact.68, 23.
11.
EdwardD. G. ff., & FreundtE. A. (1965). A note on the taxonomic status of strains like “Campo”, hitherto classified as Mycoplasma hominis, type 2. J. gen. Microbiol.41, 263.
12.
FallonR. J., & JacksonD. K. (1967). The relationship between a rodent mycoplasma, Mycoplasma pulmonis, and certain mycoplasmas isolated from tissue cultures inoculated with material from patients with leukaemia. Lab. Anim.1, 55.
13.
FindlayG. M., KlienebergerE., MacCallumF. O., & MackenzieR. D. (1938). Rolling disease, new syndrome in mice associated with a pleuropneumonia-like organism. Lancet 1938 2, 1511.
14.
FindlayG. M., MackenzieR. D., MacCallumF. O., & KlienebergerE. (1939). The aetiology of polyarthritis in the rat. Lancet 1939 2, 7.
15.
KlienebergerE. (1938). Pleuropneumonia-like organisms of diverse provenance, some results of an enquiry into methods of differentiation. J. Hyg., Camb.38, 458.
16.
KlienebergerE. (1939). Studies on pleuropneumonia-like organisms: the L4 organism as the cause of Woglom's pyogenic virus. J. Hyg., Camb.39, 260.
Klieneberger-NobelE., & ChengK.-K. (1955). On the association of the pleuropneumonia-like L3 organism with experimentally produced bronchiectasis in rats. J. Path. Bad.70, 245.
19.
KlienebergerE., & SteabbenD. B. (1937). On a pleuropneumonia-like organism in lung lesions of rats, with notes on the clinical and pathological features of the underlying condition. J. Hyg., Camb.37, 143.
20.
KlienebergerE., & SteabbenD. B. (1940). On the association of the pleuropneumonia-like organism L3 with bronchiectatic lesions in rats. J. Hyg., Camb.40, 223.
21.
LemckeR. M. (1961). Association of PPLO infection and antibody response in rats and mice. J. Hyg., Camb.59, 401.
22.
LemckeR. M. (1964). The serological differentiation of mycoplasma strains (pleuropneumonia-like organisms) from various sources. J. Hyg., Camb.62, 199.
23.
LemckeR. M. (1965). A serological comparison of various species of mycoplasma by an agar gel double-diffusion technique. J. gen. Microbiol.38, 91.
24.
LutskyI. T., & OrganickA. B. (1966). Pneumonia due to mycoplasma in gnotobiotic mice, I. Pathogenicity of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Mycoplasma salivarium and Mycoplasma pulmonis for the lungs of conventional and gnotobiotic mice. J. Bact.92, 1154.
25.
MarmionB. P., & GoodburnG. M. (1961). Effect of an organic gold salt on Eaton's primary atypical pneumonia agent and other observations. Nature, Lond.189, 247.
26.
NelsonJ. B. (1937a). Infectious catarrh of mice. I. A natural outbreak of the disease. J. exp. Med.65, 833.
27.
NelsonJ. B. (1937b). Infectious catarrh of mice. II. The detection and isolation of coccobacilliform bodies. J. exp. Med.65, 843.
28.
NelsonJ. B. (1937c). Infectious catarrh of mice. III. The aetiological significance of the coccobacilliform bodies. J. exp. Med.65, 851.
29.
NelsonJ. B. (1948). Nasal transmission of pleuropneumonia-like organisms in mice and rats. J. infect. Dis.82, 169.
30.
NelsonJ. B. (1950). Association of a special strain of pleuropneumonia-like organisms with conjuctivitis in a mouse colony. J. exp. Med.91, 309.
31.
NelsonJ. B. (1962). Chronic respiratory disease. In Problems of laboratory animal disease (ed. HarrisR. J. C.). London & New York: Academic Press.
32.
NelsonJ. B., & GowenJ. W. (1930). The incidence of middle ear infection and pneumonia in albino rats at different ages. J. infect. Dis.46, 53.
33.
NocardE., & RouxE. R. (1898). Avec la collaboration de M.M. Borrel, Salimbeni et Dujardin-Beaumetz. Le microbe de la péripneumonie. Annls Inst. Pasteur, Paris12, 240.
34.
PurcellR. H., Taylor-RobinsonD., CancholaJ., WongD. C., ValdesusoJ., & ChanockR. M. (1967). The significance of antibody to mycoplasmas as measured by metabolic inhibition techniques. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. (in press).
35.
PurcellR. H., Taylor-RobinsonD., WongD., & ChanockR. M. (1966a). A colour test for the measurement of antibody to the non-acid-forming human mycoplasma species. Am. J. Epidem.84, 51.
36.
PurcellR. H., Taylor-RobinsonD., WongD., & ChanockR. M. (1966b). Colour tests for the measurement of antibody to T-strain mycoplasmas. J. Bact.92, 6.
37.
SabinA. B. (1938a). Isolation of a filterable, transmissible agent with “neurolytic” properties from toxoplasma-infected tissues. Science, N.Y.88, 189.
38.
SabinA. B. (1938b). Identification of the filterable, transmissible neurolytic agent isolated from toxoplasma-infected tissue as a new pleuropneumonia-like microbe. Science, N.Y.88, 575.
39.
SabinA. B. (1941). The filterable micro-organisms of the pleuropneumonia group. Bact. Rev.5, 1.
40.
ShepardM. C. (1954). The recovery of pleuropneumonia-like organisms from negro men with and without nongonococcal urethritis. Am. J. Syph. Neurol.38, 113.
41.
SmithP. F. (1964). Physiology of pleuropneumonia-like organisms and L-type organisms. Bad. Rev.28, 97.
42.
Taylor-RobinsonD., HaigD. A., & WilliamsM. H. (1967). Bovine T-strain mycoplasmas. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. (in press).
43.
Taylor-RobinsonD., PurcellR. H., WongD. C., & ChanockR. M. (1966). A colour test for the measurement of antibody to certain mycoplasma species based upon the inhibition of acid production. J. Hyg., Camb.64, 91.
44.
Taylor-RobinsonD., SobeslavskyO., & ChanockR. M. (1965). Relationship of Mycoplasma pneumoniae to other mycoplasma species studied by gel diffusion. J. Bact.90, 1432.
45.
Taylor-RobinsonD., SomersonN. L., TurnerH. C., & ChanockR. M. (1963). Serological relationships among human mycoplasmas as shown by complement-fixation and gel diffusion. J. Bad.85, 1261.
46.
TullyJ. G. (1964). Production and biological characteristics of an extracellular neurotoxin from Mycoplasma neurolyticum. J. Bad.88, 381.
47.
TullyJ. G. (1965). Biochemical, morphological and serological characterisation of mycoplasma of murine origin. J. infect. Dis.115, 171.
48.
TullyJ. G. (1966). Mycoplasma granularum of swine origin as a tissue culture contaminant. Proc. Soc. exp. Biol. Med.122, 565.
49.
WoglomW. H., & WarrenJ. (1938). A pyogenic virus in the rat. Science, N.Y.87, 370.
