Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma Dr. R. K. Kalyan Associate Professor Microbiology Dept. Kgmu mycoplasma

Mycoplasma as cell culture contaminants

• Contaminates continuous cell cultures maintained in laboratories
• Interferes with the growth of viruses in these cultures.
• Mistaken for viruses.
• Eradication from infected cells is difficult.

Treatment and Prevention M. pneumoniae

• Treatment
• Tetracycline in adults (doxycycline) or erythromycin (children)
• Newer fluoroquinolones (in adults)
• Resistant to cell wall synthesis inhibitors.
• Prevention
• Avoid close contact
• Isolation is not practical due to length of illness
• No vaccine, although attempted

Treatment

• Tetracycline, Erythromycin & Clarithromycin – drug of choice
• Resistant to antibiotics which interfere with bacterial cell wall synthesis.
• Newer macrolides & quinolones being used now.

M. hominis, M. genitalium and U. urealyticum

• Treatment
• Tetracycline or erythromycin
• U. urealyticum is resistant to tetracycline
• M. hominis is resistant to erythromycin and sometimes to tetracyclin, Clindamycin for these resistant strains
• Prevention
• Abstinence or barrier protection
• No vaccine

POINTS TO BE REMEMBER

• Mycoplasma
• No cell wall
• Pleomorphism
• Fried egg colonies
• Diene’s stain

• Cold agglutination test
• Cell culture contamination
• Ureaplasma hydrolysis of urea
• Primary atypical/ walking pneumonia
• Genital infections

Dienes stain

• Azure II
• Methylene blue
• Maltose
• Na2co3
• Benzoic acid
• DW

Standard solid media

• PPLO agar base without crystal violet ph 7.8
• +Yeast extract +Horse serum +Sodium deoxy ribonucleate +Thallous acetate solution
• +K2HPO4, Penicillin solution