Mycoplasma pneumoniae
From DrugPedia: A Wikipedia for Drug discovery
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
It is a very small bacterium in the class Mollicutes. It causes the disease Mycoplasma pneumonia, a form of bacterial pneumonia, and is related to Cold agglutinin disease.
| Kingdom | Bacteria |
|---|---|
| Division | Firmicutes |
| Class | Mollicutes |
| Order | Mycoplasmatales |
| Family | Mycoplasmataceae |
| Genus | Mycoplasma |
| Species | M. pneumoniae |
| Binomial | Mycoplasma pneumoniae |
Surface Characteristics
It has a cell membrane that incorporates sterol compounds, similar to eukaryotic cells. It obtains these sterols from the host serum, allowing it to retain a simple structure. Lacking a cell wall, these organisms are resistant to the effects of penicillins and other beta-lactam antibiotics, which act by disrupting the bacterial cell wall. Antibiotics with activity against these organisms include erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, fluoroquinolones and their derivatives (e.g., levofloxacin), and tetracyclines (e.g., doxycycline).
Pathogenic Activity
It causes the disease Mycoplasma pneumonia, a form of bacterial pneumonia, and is related to Cold agglutinin disease.
