The effect of mycoplasmas and acholeplasmas of equine origin on organ cultures of chicken-embryo trachea.

Chicken-embryo tracheal organ cultures were inoculated with equine strains of Mycoplasma arginini, M. equigenitalium, 2 strains of M. subdolum, Acholeplasma laidlawii and 3 strains of A. oculi. All strains established and multiplied in the explant cultures, but only M. subdolum and A. oculi produced a cytopathic effect on ciliated epithelial cells, causing sloughing of cells and cilia after 6 days. There was a correlation between ciliostasis and increase in titre of both M. subdolum and A. oculi and this relationship was not observed with M. equigenitalium and A. laidlawii. All the strains of acholeplasma multiplied to some extent in organ culture media, but reached higher titres in the presence of explants. Cells infected with the M. subdolum strain showed sloughing of cilia, vacuolization, and increase in size of mitochondria, followed by disorganization of epithelium and marked destruction of subcellular organelles. Mycoplasmas were closely attached to the epithelial surface of the tracheal explant 8 days after infection.