真核生物を宿主とする寄生生物で、細胞壁を持たず細胞やゲノムが非常に小さいという特徴を持つ。
学名は新ラテン語で「菌類のようなもの」という意味を持っている。当初真菌とも思われたため、ギリシア語で「キノコ」を意味する μύκης（mykes：ミュケース）の語幹と、「物」を意味する πλάσμα（plasma：プラスマ）を合成して名付けられた。
Mycoplasma are a mollicute genus of bacteria that lack a cell wall around their cell membranes.
This characteristic makes them naturally resistant to many common antibiotics such as penicillin or other beta-lactam antibiotics that target cell wall synthesis. They can be parasitic or saprotrophic. Several species are pathogenic in humans, including Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which is an important cause of atypical pneumonia and other respiratory disorders, and M. genitalium, which is believed to be involved in pelvic inflammatory diseases. Mycoplasma species are the smallest bacterial cells yet discovered, can survive without oxygen, and come in various shapes. For example, Mycoplasma genitalium is flask-shaped (about 300 x 600 nm), while Mycoplasma pneumoniae is more elongated (about 100 x 1000 nm). Hundreds of mycoplasma species infect animals.
| 細菌名 | マイコプラズマ |
|---|---|
| 学名 | Mycoplasma Nowak 1929 |
| 分類 |
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