Mycoplasma
M. genitalium
M. hominis
M. pneumoniae
etc.
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Mycoplasma is a genus of small
bacteria which lack
cell walls. Several species are
pathogenic in humans, including
M. pneumoniae, which is an important cause of
pneumonia and other respiratory disorders, and
M. genitalium, which is involved in pelvic inflammatory diseases.
Mycoplasma are members of the class Mollicutes. Mollicutes are bacteria which have small genomes, lack a cell wall and have low G+C content. Mycoplasmas are parasites of humans, animals, insects and plants. It is widely believed that Mycoplasmas are descendants of the Lactobacillus-Clostridium branch of the phylogenetic tree (
