Medically Relevant Mycoplasmas and Ureaplasmas

Abstract

The genera Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma belong to the mollicutes, a group of Gram-positive tenericutes that lack a cell wall and are characterized by an extreme reduction of the genome. These organisms are primarily mucosal pathogens in human respiratory and urogenital tracts and are not found free-living in nature. Serious infections sometimes occur, often in persons with impaired humoral immunity. Because of their extreme genome reduction, the mollicutes are workhorses for the identification of the minimal gene set that is required for life. This is the basis for the new research field of synthetic biology.