''Mycoplasma incognitus'' is a human invasive ''

Mycoplasma ''Mycoplasma'' is a genus of bacteria that, like the other members of the class ''Mollicutes'', lack a cell wall around their cell membranes. Peptidoglycan (murein) is absent. This characteristic makes them naturally resistant to antibiotics ...

'' type

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

, as well as a disease agent that can cause a variety of different diseases. ''M. incognitus'' is an immunomodulatory agent, which means that it can weaken the immune response by decreasing the ability of the

immune system The immune system is a network of biological processes that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, as well as cancer cells and objects such as wood splinte ...

to produce

antibodies An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large, Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique molecule of the ...

. This mycoplasma is highly contagious, and can be passed from person to person via bodily fluids, such as sweat and blood. Since ''M. incognitus'' is a mycoplasma, it does not have a

cell wall A cell wall is a structural layer surrounding some types of cells, just outside the cell membrane. It can be tough, flexible, and sometimes rigid. It provides the cell with both structural support and protection, and also acts as a filtering mech ...

, which means that it is naturally immune to many different

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 ...

, such as

penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using ...

or other antibiotics that target the cell wall. This new mycoplasma, however, was later determined to be a close form of ''

Mycoplasma fermentans ''Mycoplasma fermentans'' is a very small bacterium in the class Mollicutes. Like other mycoplasmas ''M. fermentans'' is characterized by the absence of a peptidoglycan cell wall and resulting resistance to many antibacterial agents. It is a pos ...

'', although it does differ''.''

Genome

''Mycoplasma incognitus'' acts as a

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

, and gains most of its nutrients from its host because it has a very small

genome In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding ge ...

, consisting of only the

genes In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

essential for life. It is estimated that ''M. incognitus'' has less than 500 genes.

Cell structure

There have been frequent unsuccessful attempts at isolating a culture of ''M. incognitus'' because it is more fastidious in cultivation requirements than other mycoplasmas. It is known that the most frequently colonized sites are epithelial cell surfaces and

red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

and

white blood cells White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mult ...

inside of the human body.

Obtention of energy and metabolism

Scientists have found that ''M. incognitus'' can utilize

glucose Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using ...

both aerobically and anaerobically, but prefers to utilize the alternate energy source:

fructose Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a Ketose, ketonic monosaccharide, simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galacto ...

. The

metabolism Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...

of sugars may play an important role in the pathological process of

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

, but scientists are not sure how yet. ''M. incognitus'' can metabolize

arginine Arginine is the amino acid with the formula (H2N)(HN)CN(H)(CH2)3CH(NH2)CO2H. The molecule features a guanidino group appended to a standard amino acid framework. At physiological pH, the carboxylic acid is deprotonated (−CO2−) and both the am ...

, and scientists believe that it is possible that mycoplasmas that utilize arginine may be more pathogenic than those that don't.

Ecology

''Mycoplasma incognitus'' cannot survive unless it is inside a

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

. Because of this, ''M. incognitus'' is also considered by some to be a ''

rickettsia ''Rickettsia'' is a genus of nonmotile, gram-negative, nonspore-forming, highly pleomorphic bacteria that may occur in the forms of cocci (0.1 μm in diameter), bacilli (1–4 μm long), or threads (up to about 10 μm long). The term "rickett ...

'' type bacteria, but because it had more traits of a mycoplasma, they stuck with the final name of ''Mycoplasma incognitus''.

Pathology

This mycoplasma acts by entering into the individual cells of the body where it can lie dormant for 10, 20, or 30 years. If the host experiences a severe injury or a

vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...

isn't successful, ''M. incognitus'' can become triggered and start invading and destroying certain cells. ''M. incognitus'' has the ability to alter red blood cells so that they swell and therefore cannot be compressed and passed through the

capillaries A capillary is a small blood vessel from 5 to 10 micrometres (μm) in diameter. Capillaries are composed of only the tunica intima, consisting of a thin wall of simple squamous endothelial cells. They are the smallest blood vessels in the body: ...

References

;Bibliography *Campo, Laura et al. (1998) Genotypic and Phenotypic Analysis of ''Mycoplasma fermentans'' Strains Isolated From Different Host Tissues J Clin Microbiol. 36(5): 1371-1377 *Razin, Shmuel, Yogev, David and Naot, Yehudith (1998) Molecular Biology and Pathogenicity of Mycoplasmas Microbial Mol Biol Rev. 62(4): 1094-1156 *Schaeverbeke, Thierry et al. (1998) Genotypic Characterization of Seven Strains of ''Mycoplasma fermentans'' Isolated From Synovial Fluids of Patients With Arthritis J Clin Microbiol. 36(5): 1226-1231 *Scott, Donald W. (2001) ''Mycoplasma'' and Neurosystemic Diseases Nexus Magazine vol. 8 #5 ;Citations {{Taxonbar, from=Q59717447 incognitus