Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a very small bacterium in the class Mollicutes. It is a human pathogen that causes the disease mycoplasma pneumonia, a form of atypical bacterial pneumonia related to cold agglutinin disease. M. pneumoniae is characterized by the absence of a peptidoglycan cell wall and resulting resistance to many antibacterial agents. The persistence of M. pneumoniae infections even after treatment is associated with its ability to mimic host cell surface composition.

Discovery and history

In 1898, Nocard and Roux were the first to isolate a mycoplasma species in culture from bovine, however it wasn't until 1944 when Mycoplasma pneumoniae, known then as Eaton agent or Eaton's agent, was isolated and described from a patient with primary atypical pneumonia.