Background: Mycoplasma fermentans has been associated with respiratory, genitourinary tract infections and\r\nrheumatoid diseases but its role as pathogen is controversial. The purpose of this study was to probe that\r\nMycoplasma fermentans is able to produce respiratory tract infection and migrate to several organs on an\r\nexperimental infection model in hamsters. One hundred and twenty six hamsters were divided in six groups (A-F)\r\nof 21 hamsters each. Animals of groups A, B, C were intratracheally injected with one of the mycoplasma strains:\r\nMycoplasma fermentans P 140 (wild strain), Mycoplasma fermentans PG 18 (type strain) or Mycoplasma pneumoniae\r\nEaton strain. Groups D, E, F were the negative, media, and sham controls. Fragments of trachea, lungs, kidney, heart,\r\nbrain and spleen were cultured and used for the histopathological study. U frequency test was used to compare\r\nrecovery of mycoplasmas from organs.\r\nResults: Mycoplasmas were detected by culture and PCR. The three mycoplasma strains induced an interstitial\r\npneumonia; they also migrated to several organs and persisted there for at least 50 days. Mycoplasma fermentans\r\nP 140 induced a more severe damage in lungs than Mycoplasma fermentans PG 18. Mycoplasma pneumoniae\r\nproduced severe damage in lungs and renal damage.\r\nConclusions: Mycoplasma fermentans induced a respiratory tract infection and persisted in different organs for\r\nseveral weeks in hamsters. This finding may help to explain the ability of Mycoplasma fermentans to induce\r\npneumonia and chronic infectious diseases in humans.
Loading....