''Mycoplasma hyorhinis'' is a species of bacteria in the

Mycoplasmataceae Mycoplasmataceae is a family of bacteria in the order Mycoplasmatales. This family consists of the genera '' Mycoplasma'' and '' Ureaplasma''. In 1967, the order Mycoplasmatales was incorporated into the class Mollicutes. Many species are sexua ...

family. It is often found as a

commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit fro ...

in the

respiratory The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...

tract of

pigs The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...

, and rarely in the skin of humans. ''M. hyorhinis'' is thought to facilitate and exacerbate the development of diseases such as porcine enzootic pneumonia and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). Rarely, it may cause mycoplasma arthritis, mycoplasmal polyserositis or mycoplasma

septicaemia Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

in piglets without the involvement of other bacteria. This presents as polyarthritis or polyserositis. ''M. hyorhinis'' can prevent cell death caused by

nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAmPRTase or NAMPT), formerly known as pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor 1 (PBEF1) or visfatin for its extracellular form (eNAMPT), is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''NAMPT'' gene. The intrac ...

inhibitors.

Clinical signs and diagnosis

A variety of clinical signs are seen in piglets less than 10-weeks old.

Lameness A limp is a type of asymmetric abnormality of the gait. Limping may be caused by pain, weakness, neuromuscular imbalance, or a skeletal deformity. The most common underlying cause of a painful limp is physical trauma; however, in the absen ...

polyserositis Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a hereditary inflammatory disorder. FMF is an autoinflammatory disease caused by mutations in Mediterranean fever gene, which encodes a 781–amino acid protein called pyrin. While all ethnic groups are sus ...

and joint swelling are the most common symptoms. A foul-smelling discharge from the ears can occur secondary to

otitis Otitis is a general term for inflammation or infection, inner ear infection, middle ear infection of the ear, in both humans and other animals. When infection is present, it may be viral or bacterial. When inflammation is present due to fluid buil ...

. Less specific signs include poor coat quality,

pyrexia Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...

, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological and respiratory signs.

Bacterial culture A microbiological culture, or microbial culture, is a method of multiplying microbial organisms by letting them reproduce in predetermined culture medium under controlled laboratory conditions. Microbial cultures are foundational and basic diagn ...

, immunofluorescent antibody testing (IFAT),

complement fixation test The complement fixation test is an immunological medical test that can be used to detect the presence of either specific antibody or specific antigen in a patient's serum, based on whether complement fixation occurs. It was widely used to diagnose ...

and

haemagglutination Hemagglutination, or haemagglutination, is a specific form of agglutination that involves red blood cells (RBCs). It has two common uses in the laboratory: blood typing and the quantification of virus dilutions in a haemagglutination assay. Blood ...

can all be used to confirm the diagnosis.

Human pathogenicity

There is some evidence implicating ''M. hyorhinis'' in the pathogenesis of

scleroderma Scleroderma is a group of autoimmune diseases that may result in changes to the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs. The disease can be either localized to the skin or involve other organs, as well. Symptoms may include areas of ...

, a chronic systemic disease of humans. One study isolated the bacteria from scleroderma patients. Another study found that injecting ''M. hyorhinis'' into mice induces a scleroderma-like autoimmune disease. However, more research is needed to confirm or refute the link between ''M. hyorhinis'' and scleroderma.

Treatment

Antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention o ...

are the treatment of choice.

References

External links

Type strain of ''Mycoplasma hyorhinis'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Bacterial diseases Swine diseases Pathogenic bacteria hyorhinis {{Veterinary-med-stub

Clinical signs and diagnosis

Human pathogenicity

Treatment

See also

References

External links