A Study on the Structure and Properties of Mycoplasma

Mycoplasma is a bacterial species that has no cell wall around its cell membrane (Beachey, 2015). Thus, due to the lack of a cell membrane, they are not affected by antibiotics such as penicillin and beta-lactam, which normally targets synthesis of the cell wall. Consequently, mycoplasma can either be parasitic or saprotrophic and thus species found mostly in human beings are pathogenic (Herrmann & Razin, 2013).

The genus of mycoplasma is one of the smallest cells of bacteria yet to be discovered. Additionally, these particular species come in various shapes and has the ability to survive without oxygen. For instance, the shape of M. genitalium resembles that of a flask whereas that of M. pneumonia is more elongated (Miles & Nicholas, 2014). Therefore, this paper seeks to highlight mycoplasma with regards to the foundation of its division, the appearance of cilia and its characteristics. Moreover, the paper will stretch further to examine the taxonomy of mycoplasma.

Foundations of Division of the Mycoplasma

Mycoplasma is the smallest and simplest bacteria that replicate themselves and thus, they contain organelles that are essential for their growth and replication (Herrmann & Razin, 2013). These organelles include ribosomes and a plasma membrane. Additionally, contrary to prokaryotes and other bacterial species, mycoplasmas lack a cell wall on their outer surface. Instead, their outer layer is covered by a three-layered membrane which contains sterols and thus, they are classified under a separate class of Mollicutes (Miles & Nicholas, 2014).

Often, the term trivial mollicutes are widely adopted particularly when describing any member of these class of organelles. This is because their contaminations are persistent and challenging to notice, diagnose and cure (Tully & Razin, 2015). Moreover, contamination of cell cultures as a result of mycoplasmas brings about serious problems and complications both in biotechnological industries and research laboratories.

Usually, organelles of mycoplasma are associated with mucosal surfaces which are found in the respiratory and urogenital tracts (Tully & Razin, 2015). However, they rarely penetrate the submucosa, except in the cases of immunosuppression. This is the time when they invade the bloodstream and consequently disseminating to various organs throughout the body (Herrmann & Razin, 2013).

Notwithstanding the scientist’s isolation of over 17 species of mycoplasma from humans, 4 types of organisms are the lead causes of clinically significant infections within the health sector. These species include but not limited to Mycoplasma pneumaniae, mycoplasmas genitalium, mycoplasmas hominis and Ureaplasma species (Herrmann & Razin, 2013). Thus, the foundations of the division of mycoplasma are based on the four species, Ureaplasma, mycoplasmas genitalium, Mycoplasma pneumaniae and mycoplasmas hominis.

Presumably, its believed that mycoplasmas evolved as a result of progressive development from the Gram-positive bacteria. (Miles & Nicholas, 2014). Additionally, since mycoplasmas are very exacting in terms of nutrition, many require cholesterol, a unique property exhibited by prokaryotes. For instance, Ureaplasma requires urea for the purpose of its growth (Beachey, 2015).

Finally, the structural development of mycoplasma is in such a way they have surface antigens such as glycolipids, membrane proteins and lipoglycans which are essential in the growth stage of the organelles. For instance, the membrane proteins undergo spontaneous antigenic variation which in turn inhibit the growth of the organelles. Ultimately, this has driven the development of a various serological test which has proven helpful with regards understanding the foundation and classification of mycoplasma.

Structure and Functions of Cilia

Cilia are slender and tiny living organisms that usually extends outwards from the surface of cells of most mammals. Therefore, they are essential structures in various developmental stages in the life of both human and animals (Sharpey, 2012). They facilitate replication and progression of cell cycle in everyday life of the human and animal development. Typically, cilia is attached to, and during the progression of the cell cycle, as well as production (Sharpey, 2012). A single cilium measures approximately 1-10 micrometers in length and less than 1micrometer in width.

Mostly, cilia are classified into two major categories, the primary forms, and motile forms. The motile cilia are found in the middle of the ear, lungs and the respiratory tract, and thus have a rhythmical wave (Sharpey, 2012). Their primary function is to allow humans and animals to breath easily and without irritation by keeping the airways clear of mucus and dirt. Additionally, the body cells that have a single moving cilium are sperm cells, they help propel sperm (Sharpey, 2012).

On the other hand, the primary or “non-motile” cilia were presumed to be evolutionary vestigial organs in early 1898. Nonetheless, they play significant roles in many different organs of human being. For instance, some of the primary cilia serves as a sensory antenna for the cell by receiving sensory information from one cell to the other (Sharpey, 2012). Additionally, they enhance various processes in the kidney, by easing the flow of urine (Sharpey, 2012).

In the eye, the primary cilia are located at the retina’s sensitive cells of the eye called photoreceptors. Therefore, they act as microscopic train-tracks by permitting the movement of vital molecules to and from the photoreceptor. (Sharpey, 2012). Nevertheless, a lot of information is still not known about functions and importance of cilia in human life. Thus, in the near future, it's important to conduct many case studies with regards to the structure and functions of cilia so as to critically analyze the importance of these cellular structures. This will bring a better understanding of cilia and consequently better ways of treating and helping those people whose lives have been affected by defective cilia.

Characteristics of Mycoplasma

Mycoplasmas are the smallest and simplest living organisms that, contrary to other bacteria, they don’t have a cell wall. Instead, their outer layer is covered by a three-layered membrane which contains sterols (Herrmann & Razin, 2013). The diameters of these organisms usually range between 0.2 to 0.3 micrometers. As a result, they are able to pass through a 0.2-micrometer filter with applied pressure pores due to their pleomorphic morphology (Tully & Razin, 2015).

Typically, the morphology of mycoplasmas takes place in two different structural forms during their life cycle. This includes; coccoidal, a spherical and filamentous (Beachey, 2015). Due to lack of cell wall, mycoplasmas are poorly stained by bacterial stains, this is only with an exception of M. hyorhinis (Miles & Nicholas, 2014). However, a wide range of mycoplasma species can be cultivated with the help of standardized and Mycoplasma agar formulations, although their growth rate may be slow. When the cultivation is done on agar formulations, the colonies have a “fried-egg” appearance. This is because the colony center grows into the ager, and thus appears denser than the rest of the colony (Miles & Nicholas, 2014).

Therefore, unless it is specifically tested for, cultures that are contaminated by mycoplasma usually remain undetected. This is due to lack of obvious signs of contamination such as damage to host cells. In cases of chronic infections, a decrease of cell proliferation is experienced whereas acute infections result in total damage of cell culture (Herrmann & Razin, 2013). Thus, the following clues are very important with regards to detection of deterioration of culture affected by mycoplasma contamination:

• Changes in cell morphology
• Induced cell transformation
• Aberrations in chromosomes
• Interference with the rate of cell growth
• Altered DNA, RNA and protein synthesis

Mycoplasma Taxonomy

Before highlighting mycoplasma taxonomy, it’s important to shade some light on the general knowledge with regards to the science in taxonomy. As such, the science of taxonomy is divided into three major parts which includes classification, which entails arranging units into groups in an orderly manner, nomenclature and the identification of the unknowns in which the units are labeled in (1) and (2) (Tully & Razin, 2015).

Primarily, mycoplasma taxonomy is geared towards creating order out of chaos particularly in bacterial species. Therefore, in other words, the significance of microbial taxonomy is to arrange organisms within categories of different levels in a systematic manner. This is achieved by registering phenotypic characters which include and not limited to antigenicity, morphology and biochemical properties (Miles & Nicholas, 2014).

When proposing the establishment of other taxonomic categories regarding mycoplasmas, scientists often disobeys the rules of classification and nomenclature. According to previous studies, the concept of the taxonomy of mycoplasma has been greatly influenced by the ever-increasing burst of world-wide interest in mycoplasma (Herrmann & Razin, 2013). The interrelationships and concepts of mycoplasma's taxonomic positioning were extremely vague, particularly in the early days. However, within their respective taxonomic categories, they have now been given an orderly arrangement based on the Linnaean system of classification (Miles & Nicholas, 2014).

That notwithstanding, the present nomenclature and classification of mycoplasma were adopted 1956, championed by Edward and Freundt (Tully & Razin, 2015). They ensured that all mycoplasmas known at the time were assigned and classified in one family. This includes Mycoplasmataceae which has only one genus, as well, mycoplasma was assigned under the order of Mycoplasmatales. As of 1956, the total number of species recognized were no more than 15. In spite of that, there has been a continual development and evolution ever since and an extension of taxonomic system initiated by Edward and Freundt (Miles & Nicholas, 2014)

Nevertheless, for decades now, the species of mycoplasma have been isolated from the female gender with the case of bacterial vaginosis, as well as M. genitalium which is attributed to pelvic inflammatory disease (Herrmann & Razin, 2013). Typically, these infections are associated with numerous risks and complications such as infertility, cervicitis, spontaneous abortion and preterm birth. Additionally, the taxonomy of mycoplasma stretches further to pathogenicity.

In the taxonomy of pathogenicity, the primary virulence factor of mycoplasma is a P1 antigen. This is the antigen that allows adhesion to epithelial cells (Tully & Razin, 2015). Additionally, the expression of the P1 receptor can be articulated on erythrocytes leading to autoantibody agglutination as a result of mycobacteria infection (Tully & Razin, 2015). Nonetheless, there are also several species of mycoplasma which can bring about different types of infections and complications. For instance, pelvic inflammatory diseases are primarily associated with M. genitalium, whereas, typical pneumonia is caused by M. pneumoniae (Herrmann & Razin, 2013). Finally, there is also synthetic mycoplasma genome which is based entirely on synthetic DNA.

In conclusion, mycoplasma is a bacterial species that, unlike most bacteria, they have no cell wall around its cell membrane. These living organisms are capable of replicating themselves and belongs to the class Mollicutes (Herrmann & Razin, 2013). Moreover, just like any other bacteria, mycoplasma has no nucleus. However, they contain DNA and RNA (Tully & Razin, 2015).

Mycoplasma species is attributed to causing serious diseases and complications in many animal species, as well as plants. In cases where these organisms affect multiple organ systems, there is the possibility of occurrences of acute and chronic diseases (Miles & Nicholas, 2014). Nonetheless, the detection of the presence of mycoplasma in human and animal species is somewhat difficult. This is due to lack of obvious signs of contamination such as damage to host cells. However, chronic infections, a decrease of cell proliferation is experienced whereas acute infections result in total damage to cell culture. This is because these organelles elude the immune system and consequently altering the precipitating of autoimmune disease. As a result, there is induced the appearance of a lymphokine profile.