Kingdom Bacteria Order Mycoplasmatales Genus Mycoplasma Higher classification Mycoplasma | Division Firmicutes Family Mycoplasmataceae Scientific name Mycoplasma hominis Rank Species | |
Similar Bacteria, Neisseria, Mollicutes | ||
Medical vocabulary what does mycoplasma hominis mean
Mycoplasma hominis is a species of bacteria in the genus Mycoplasma. M. hominis has the ability to penetrate the interior of human cells. Along with ureaplasmas, mycoplasmas are the smallest free-living organisms known.
Contents
They have no cell wall and therefore do not Gram stain.
M. hominis is associated with pelvic inflammatory disease and bacterial vaginosis. It is also associated with male infertility. This species causes a sexually transmitted disease.
Growth of "fried egg" colonies on glucose agar medium within 24–48 hours is a characteristic of Mycoplasma hominis.
Genome studies
DNA sequence data is incomplete for M. hominis. M. hominis uses an atypical type of energy metabolism, dependent upon the degradation of arginine. Other mycoplasmas lack this characteristic. Determining the genome will provide information that would facilitate the understanding of metabolic reconstitutions.