Mycoplasma infection

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Brucellosis, chlamydial pneumonias, infective endocarditis, legionnaires disease, mycoplasma infections, pneumonia, Cox-iella burnetii infection, Francisella tularensis infection, Q fever, tuberculosis, tularemia, typhoid fever, and all atypical pneumonia. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, aspergillosis, pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome, mediastinal cysts, mycoplasma infections, Pancoast syndrome, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, lung abscess, lung cancer, lymphoma. 

Acute inflammatoiy demyelinating polyneuropathy is a common cause of reversible paralysis. Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), the classic form of the Guillain-Barre syndrome, often begins a week or two after recovery from cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus or Mycoplasma infection. Patients present with rapidly advancing symmetrical weakness, loss of deep tendon reflexes, often with distal numbness, and limb or back pain. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein concentration is elevated, but in most cases there is little or no increase in number of inflammatory cells in the CSF. This albumino-cytologic dissociation contrasts with the elevation of both... 

Exposure to hexachloroethane vapors can cause irritation to the respiratory system. Acute exposure to 260 ppm hexachloroethane had no apparent effect on the lungs and air passages in rats, but acute exposure to a concentration where particulate hexachloroethane was present in the atmosphere caused lung irritation (Weeks et al. 1979). On the other hand, intermediate-duration exposure to 260 ppm hexachloroethane appeared to cause some irritation of the respiratory epithelium, which may have increased susceptibility to respiratory infection. When exposure ceased, the animals recovered, so there were no histopathological indications of tissue damage after a 12-week recovery period. Lesions of the nasal passages, trachea, and bronchi increased mycoplasma infections mucus in the nasal cavities and decreased oxygen consumption were indicators of respiratory tract irritation from repeated episodes of hexachloroethane exposure. 

Hexachloroethane vapors and ingested hexachloroethane act as irritants on the lining of the lung, nasal cavity, trachea, and other tissues of the respiratory tract. Pulmonary irritation was associated with an increased incidence of mycoplasma infection in rats. Hexachloroethane exposure can also irritate the eyes. The irritation of the eye and respiratory tract are reversible once exposure has ceased. 

An increased incidence in mycoplasma infections in rats exposed to 260 ppm hexachloroethane for 6 weeks suggests that hexachloroethane might weaken resistance to infection (Weeks et al. 1979). This could be the result of either a change in the quantity or consistency of the respiratory tract mucus or a systemic weakening of the immune system. The data are inadequate to formulate any hypothesis regarding the mechanism for diminished host resistance or to postulate whether hexachloroethane in the environment might lower the resistance of humans to respiratory infections. 

Hexachloroethane resulted in tremors at 260 ppm, with no neurological effects at 48 ppm. Transient mucopurulent nasal exudate in 85% of the animals and an unspecified decrease in maternal weight gain were noted in animals at 48 ppm. This effect was considered a result of an endemic mycoplasma infection and was not observed at 48 ppm in the 6-week study (Weeks et al. 1979). The 260-ppm concentration is a serious LOAEL for neurological effects and the 48-ppm concentration is aNOAEL. 

Kusunoki S, Shiina M, Kanazawa I (2001) Anti-Gal-C antibodies in GBS subsequent to mycoplasma infection Evidence of molecular mimicry. Neurology 57 736-738. 

Susuki K, Odaka M, Mori M, Hirata K, Yuki N (2004) Acute motor axonal neuropathy after Mycoplasma infection Evidence of molecular mimicry. Neurology 62 949-956. 

The first observation of mycoplasma infection of cell cultures was by Robinson et ah (1956). The incidence of such infection has since been found to vary from laboratory to laboratory. At present 12% of cell hnes received by the ECACC are infected but this may be an uncharacteristically low figure because many lines are screened for mycoplasma prior to deposition. 

Is there a better PCR technique Over the past few years different authors have described other 16S rDNA-based PCR methods. Spaepen et ah (1992) used a nested PCR system with great sensitivity, but the use of a second amplified cycle dramatically increased the risk of DNA carryover contaminations, van Kuppeveld et al. (1994) reported a single PCR system that seems to be very suitable to detect cell culture contamination but it requires a DNA extraction stage, which is very time consuming. Moreover, a new marked PCR method is available (Stratagene, CA). The primers used make it possible rapidly to (4-5 h) test eukaryotic cells for mycoplasma infection but this method seems to be less sensitive than our PCR technique. 

Unlike bacterial or fungal contamination, mycoplasma infection is not always detectable in a cell culture by the usual microscopic methods. 

It is extremely important that after antibiotic treatment the cells are maintained in antibiotic-free media. Lack of evidence of mycoplasma infection does not necessarily indicate that the culture is free of such infection, because the level of infection may be below the limit of detection. For this reason it is suggested that antibiotic-free growth be continued to allow any residual infection to reach levels that are detectable. If, after this period, no mycoplasmas are detected, the line may be considered to be mycoplasma-free. 

Van Diggelen OP, Shin S Phillips DM (1977) Reduction in cellular tumour-genicity after mycoplasma infection and elimination of mycoplasma from infected cultures by passage in nude mice. Cancer Research 37 2680-2687. 

Grayston JT, Foy HM, Kenny ER. The epidemiology of mycoplasma infections of the human respiratory tract. In Hayflick L, ed. The Mycoplasmatales and the L-Phase of Bacteria Amsterdam, The Netherlands Appelton-Century-Crofts 1969 651. 

Hiruki, C. and Rocha, A.D.A. (1986). Hystochemical diagnosis of mycoplasma infections in Catharanthus roseus by means of a fluorescent DNA-binding agent, 4 -6 -diamidino-2-phenylindole-2 HC1 (DAPI). Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, 8 185-188. 

Petzold, H. and Marwitz, R. (1984). Fluorescence in sieve tubes of mycoplasma infected plants after fixation with aldehydes. German Federal Republic, 91 286-293. 

Fig. 1. (A) Noninfected cell culture. (B) Mycoplasma-infected cell cultures.

Comparison of Different Techniques Used for the Detection of Mycoplasma Infection... 

McGarrity, G. J., Phillips, D and Vaidya, A. (1980) Mycoplasma infection of lymphocyte cultures infection with M. salivarium. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. 16,346-356. 

Erythema multiforme is a relatively common, acute, self-limited, inflammatory reaction pattern that is often associated with a preceding herpes simplex or mycoplasma infection. Other causes are associated with connective tissue disease, physical agents, X-ray therapy, pregnancy and internal malignancies, to mention a few. In 50% of the cases, no cause can be found. In a recent prospective study of erythema multiforme, only 10% were drug related. 

Colombo, U., Pifarotti, G., Amidani, M., Viezzoli, T., and Pifarotti, P. (1998). Rokitamycin in the treatment of female genital Chlamydia and Mycoplasma infections. Comparative study vs. josamycin [in Italian]. Minerva Ginecol. 50,491-497. 

Mycoplasma Infections Mycoplasma pneumoniae is sensitive to tetracychnes, which shorten the duration of chnical manifestations in atypical pneumonia. 

Critical aspects of cell-based assays include the cell immortalization method, cell culture history, passage number, stability of cell line, mycoplasma infection, surface marker pattern, and the effect of fetal calf serum in the medium. 

Mycoplasma contamination of cell culture systems continues to present major problems for monoclonal antibody production. Mycoplasma-positive cell cultures are themselves the major source of infection. It is recommended that all myeloma cell lines be tested for mycoplasma prior to fusion. If a hybridoma culture is considered irreplaceable, it is possible to eliminate effectively the mycoplasma contamination by injecting the hybrids into mice. The animal s immune system will destroy the infection and effectively clean up the cells. The mycoplasma-free cells are then recovered by draining the ascites fluid. Drug treatment is also an effective method to decontaminate hybrid cells from mycoplasma infection. 

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