Pathogenicity factors of mycoplasmas.

The pathogenicity of mycoplasmas is caused by several factors, e.g. exotoxin, toxic properties of membrane components, exoenzymes, peroxide, and immunological factors. The absence of a rigid cell wall and the small genome tend to influence the interactions between mycoplasmas and host tissue. Mycoplasmas do not have a cell wass and are therefore resistant to the action of the host's lysozymes. They appear in some patients to be immunologically inconspicuous and in other patients they have been reported to have an immuno-suppressive effect. Recently there have been reports of central nervous system disorders due to mycoplasma. The pathogenic factors involved in these reactions have not been elucidated. Other aspects of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pathogenicity are also discussed.