Mycoplasmataceae is the familial superorder of the bacterial genera Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma. It is a series of bacterial species that are notable for their lack of a cell wall and pleomorphic shape.
What are Mycoplasmataceae?
The family Mycoplasmataceae belongs to the class Mollicutes and the order Mycoplasmatales. Mycoplasmataceae is the only family in the order Mycoplasmatales and includes the bacterial genera Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma. Misunderstandings and definitional errors often arise from the use of the genus-like name “Mycoplasma” for the class Mollicutes. If the class Mycoplasma is mentioned, the class Mollicutes is referred to and not the genus Mycoplasma. By the class of Mollicutes, order of Mycoplasmatales, and family of Mycoplasmataceae, a number of bacterial species are defined that are characterized by a lack of cell wall and a pleomorphic form. Mycoplasmas or Mollicutes have no flagella or other means of independent locomotion due to the lack of a cell wall. They rely on amino acids and nucleic acids from other cells and can only survive through parasitism. The names “Mollicutes”, i.e. “the soft-skinned” and “Mycoplasma”, i.e. “resembling the shape of fungal filaments”, already indicate the cell-wall-less form and pleomorphic properties. Bacteria of the family Mycoplasmataceae have a size of 200-300 nanometers and are gram-negative due to the lack of a cell wall. They play a role as laboratory contaminants due to their small size. Since sterile filters are produced serially only up to a pore density of 220 nanometers, it is difficult to prevent contamination by germs of the Mycoplasmataceae family. The first Mycoplasmataceae were isolated in 1898 from cattle suffering from pneumonic disease. In human medicine, the first pathogens were not isolated until 1937 in patients with nonspecific urinary tract infections and were named Mycoplasma hominis. Mycoplasma pneumoniae was isolated in the 1940s of the twentieth century as a causative agent for atypical infections. The classification of the various species in the family Mycoplasmataceae was made by E.A. Freundt in 1955.
Occurrence, distribution, and characteristics
Because mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas do not possess flagella or other forms of independent locomotion, they rely on transmission via bodily secretions and colonize primarily in the urogenital tract and lungs. In women, Ureaplasma urealyticum may colonize unnoticed in the normal urogenital flora. Mycoplasmataceae are parasitic either intracellularly or extracellularly, thereby triggering a number of inflammatory processes, some of which can have serious consequences. Mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas are considered pathogens because of their parasitic lifestyle and associated diseases. They are responsible for numerous inflammatory diseases in veterinary and human medicine.
Diseases and ailments
In human medicine, the species Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Ureaplasma urealyticum are particularly prominent. Mycoplasma pneumoniae can cause numerous respiratory and nervous system diseases. Mycoplasma is known to cause atypical pneumonia. However, it can also be responsible for tracheobronchitis, i.e. inflammation of the bronchial tubes in both acute and chronic manifestations, and pharyngitis, i.e. inflammation of the throat. Severe clinical pictures can be caused by the pathogen in the central nervous system. Without timely treatment, meningitis can lead to lethal consequences or lifelong damage. Consequential symptoms such as epilepsy, hearing loss and cognitive impairment are common after meningitis. Mycoplasma genitalium can cause non-gonococcal urethritis. Non-gonococcal urethritis refers to urethritis that is not caused by gonococci. Urethritis caused by Mycoplasma genitalium can spread to various areas of the pelvis in women and, if left untreated, can lead to infertility. Other subsequent and serious diseases such as ovarian cancer are observed, but to date cannot be directly linked to the infection.Ureaplamsa urealyticum colonizes the lower genital tract of women and can also occur in normal urogenital flora. Ureaplasma urealyticum can cause serious infectious diseases in newborns. During pregnancy and at birth, ureaplasma can infect the embryo or infant. Early infection by the mother can cause pneumonia and neonatal sepsis in the infant. In neonatal sepsis, the infant is born with an ongoing infection that spreads to the bloodstream. Approximately 5% of worldwide deaths of children under 5 years of age are due to neonatal sepsis. The use of antibiotics can ensure a problem-free cure of the various diseases up to now. Very important is the exact identification of the pathogen by smears, antibody measurements and PCRs. Since antibiotics of the penicillin group attack the cell wall of the bacteria and Mollicutes do not have a cell wall, pathogens of the Mollicutes group can show a natural resistance here. Observations are available in which the use of penicillin even led to the persistence of the cell wall-less germs. Generally, antibiotics from the macrolide group are recommended, as they start inside the germ during protein biosynthesis and prevent further replication of the germ. Treatment with azithromycin or erythromycin is very promising for the proper convalescence of the patient. In no case should antibiotics be prescribed out of pure suspicion, but clarification should take place first, taking laboratory findings into account, to prevent persistence of the pathogen and the development of resistance in further germs.
