Serological Cross-Reactions Between Mycoplasma Genitalium and M. Pneumoniae

Taylor‐Robinson, David; Furr, P. M.; Tully, J G

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(83)92212-2

Cited by 49 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…genitalium-M. pneumoniae provide genetic support for previous reports of serological relatedness of these two mycoplasmas of humans, revealed in a variety of conventional serological tests (13,14,24) and in Western immunoblots (5,7, 10, 12). Our Southern blots revealed that in addition to the homologous rRNA genes, the genomes of these two mycoplasmas possess other common nucleotide sequences, probably constituting genes for shared proteins, responsible for the serological cross- reactions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Common Deoxyribonucleic Acid Sequences in Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma pneumoniae Genomes

Yogev

Razin

1986

International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology

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Southern blot hybridization of digested deoxyribonucleic acids (DNAs) of Mycoplasma ,genitalium, M . pneumoniae, and M . gallisepticum with probes made of total DNA of any one of these mycoplasmas revealed hybridization bands additional to those containing ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene sequences, which were identifiable by specific rRNA gene probes. The number and intensity of these additional bands were most pronounced with the M . genitalium-M. pneumoniae pair, which shares major antigenic determinants. Hybridization with M . pulmonis and Spiroplasma citri DNAs as probes revealed only the rRNA gene bands in digested DNAs of M . genitalium, M . pneumoniae, and M . gallisepticum. DNA-DNA hybridization tests in solution, with M . genitalium and M . pneumoniae DNA as probes, corroborated the Southern blotting data by showing the highest homology values between M . genitalium and M . pneumoniae (6.5 to 8.1 %), lower with M . gallisepticum (3.5 to 4.0%), and lowest with S. citri (0.5 to 0.9%). The new hybridization approach provides visual evidence for genetic relatedness between M . genitalium and M . pneumoniae and may facilitate the identification and cloning of genomic DNA segments carrying genes shared by two or more mycoplasmas.The new methodology of molecular genetics has provided useful tools for establishing genetic relatedness among bacteria, thus influencing bacterial taxonomy and phylogeny in a most profound way. Methods based on comparison of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) cleavage patterns by restriction endonucleases (21) and on hybridization patterns of cleaved DNA with ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene probes (17, 18; S. Razin and D. Yogev, J. Pediatr. Infect. Dis., in press) have recently been added to the longestablished DNA base composition and DNA homology tests (11). In the present communication, we propose another method for assessment of genetic relatedness between bacteria, based on detection of common genomic DNA sequences, as revealed by Southern blot hybridization of digested DNA of one organism with nick-translated total DNA of another organism. Mycoplasma genitalium and M. pneumoniae were selected as major test organisms, since the basis for the similarities exhibited by these two human mycoplasmas has become an important issue in current mycoplasma research (5, 7, 10, 12, 13, 24).The recently discovered M . genitalium, isolated from the urethras of nongonococcal urethritis patients (25), shows a remarkable resemblance to the well-established human pathogen M . pneumoniae in cell shape, possession of a tip structure, complex nutritional requirements, adherence ability (4, 14, 26), and antigenic structure (5, 7, 10, 12-14, 24). Nevertheless, genomic analysis indicates that these two organisms represent two distinct species by currently accepted criteria (11). Thus, the guanine plus cytosine content of the M . genitalium genome is 32.4 5 1.0 mol% (26), compared with the value of 38.6 to 40.8 mol% for the M . pneumoniae genome (20). The cleavage patterns of the DNAs of the two m...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Common Deoxyribonucleic Acid Sequences in Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma pneumoniae Genomes

Yogev

Razin

1986

International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology

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“…The close biological similarity between this mycoplasma and M. genitalium raises the possibility that autoimmune-stimulated pathology could develop in response to infection by the latter. Furthermore, as M. genitalium and M. pneumoniae share various antigens that induce some serological cross-reactivity (94,122,124,203), it is plausible that resistance to genital tract infection with M. genitalium might occur as a consequence of antibody induced by a previous respiratory infection with M. pneumoniae, particularly as the latter infection is seen at an early age and is therefore likely to be experienced first. Because of the difficulty of assessing this proposition with humans, it was evaluated experimentally in a mouse model (200).…”

Section: Immunological Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mycoplasma genitalium: from Chrysalis to Multicolored Butterfly

2011

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SUMMARY The history, replication, genetics, characteristics (both biological and physical), and factors involved in the pathogenesis of Mycoplasma genitalium are presented. The latter factors include adhesion, the influence of hormones, motility, possible toxin production, and immunological responses. The preferred site of colonization, together with current detection procedures, mainly by PCR technology, is discussed. The relationships between M. genitalium and various diseases are highlighted. These diseases include acute and chronic nongonococcal urethritis, balanoposthitis, chronic prostatitis, and acute epididymitis in men and urethritis, bacterial vaginosis, vaginitis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and reproductive disease in women. A causative relationship, or otherwise strong association, between several of these diseases and M. genitalium is apparent, and the extent of this, on a subjective basis, is presented; also provided is a comparison between M. genitalium and two other genital tract-orientated mollicutes, namely, Mycoplasma hominis , the first mycoplasma of human origin to be discovered, and Ureaplasma species. Also discussed is the relationship between M. genitalium and infertility and also arthritis in both men and women, as is infection in homosexual and immunodeficient patients. Decreased immunity, as in HIV infections, may enhance mycoplasmal detection and increase disease severity. Finally, aspects of the antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance of M. genitalium , together with the treatment and possible prevention of mycoplasmal disease, are discussed.

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“…Examples hereof are the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) described by Jacobs et al with whole M. genitalium cells as the antigen (14), the complement fixation test with chloroformmethanol-extracted M. genitalium cells, indirect immunofluorescence on M. genitalium microcolonies, and the indirect hemagglutination test using sonicated M. genitalium cells described by Lind (25) and Lind and Kristensen (26). The metabolism inhibition test was described to be less cross-reactive (25,38), but it is also a more complicated method to use than the more modern serological methods. More specific serological tests, like the ELISA on Triton X-114-extracted lipid-associated membrane proteins (LAMPs) (42) and purified full-length MgPa (14), have been published in the nineties, but since then, the methods have not been evaluated in other published studies except for one recent study using the LAMP ELISA (1).…”

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confidence: 99%

Identification and Characterization of Immunogenic Proteins of Mycoplasma genitalium

Svenstrup

Jensen

Gevaert

et al. 2006

Clin Vaccine Immunol

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Mycoplasma genitalium is a pathogen of the human urogenital tract. It was isolated for the first time in 1981 from two men with urethritis. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the small size of M. genitalium and a flask-shaped body with an electron-dense tip structure (29, 41). M. genitalium belongs to the class Mollicutes, comprising small bacteria without a cell wall. Mycoplasmas, including M. genitalium, are characterized by the requirement for complex growth media and utilization of UGA as a tryptophan codon. The genome of M. genitalium is small (580 kbp) and was sequenced in 1995 (8).M. genitalium appears to be an important cause of nonchlamydial nongonococcal urethritis, with an average prevalence of more than 20% in men with this condition (12,15,18). M. genitalium is sexually transmitted (7, 20) and may cause genital tract diseases in women, such as cervicitis (7, 28), pelvic inflammatory disease (35), and endometritis (5). M. genitalium G37 has been shown to induce urethritis in chimpanzees, followed by a sustained antibody response (39). Experimentally infected monkeys developed moderate to severe salpingitis (30). In humans, a fourfold rise in antibody titers measured by microimmunofluorescence was observed for 29% of men with nongonococcal urethritis compared to 12% of men without urethritis (37). This suggests that the infection of the human male urethra by M. genitalium causes the stimulation of an antibody response. Furthermore, an association between antibodies to M. genitalium in women with tubal factor infertility has been demonstrated (4).M. genitalium is closely related to Mycoplasma pneumoniae, the cause of "walking pneumonia," and they share many features, like shape and cell and genome structures. The attachment protein MgPa of M. genitalium has been identified as a homologue to the P1 adhesin of M. pneumoniae (13). The electron-dense core of M. pneumoniae comprises a network of proteins that localize and maintain P1 at the tip during adhesion to host cells (21,22). Like P1 of M. pneumoniae, MgPa is the immunodominant protein of M. genitalium (14,27,31).In order to analyze human serum samples for antibodies to M. genitalium, different serological methods with different combinations of M. genitalium antigens have been attempted. However, serological cross-reactions to M. pneumoniae are reported to be a major problem in many of the tests that are based on whole-cell antigens of M. genitalium. Examples hereof are the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) described by Jacobs et al. with whole M. genitalium cells as the antigen (14), the complement fixation test with chloroformmethanol-extracted M. genitalium cells, indirect immunofluorescence on M. genitalium microcolonies, and the indirect hemagglutination test using sonicated M. genitalium cells described by Lind (25) and Lind and Kristensen (26). The metabolism inhibition test was described to be less cross-reactive (25, 38), but it is also a more complicated method to use than the more modern serological methods. More specific s...

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Serological Cross-Reactions Between Mycoplasma Genitalium and M. Pneumoniae

Cited by 49 publications

References 7 publications

Common Deoxyribonucleic Acid Sequences in Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma pneumoniae Genomes

Common Deoxyribonucleic Acid Sequences in Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma pneumoniae Genomes

Mycoplasma genitalium: from Chrysalis to Multicolored Butterfly

Identification and Characterization of Immunogenic Proteins of Mycoplasma genitalium

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