HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by KIRCHHOFF, H. Articles by HILL, A. C. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by KIRCHHOFF, H. Articles by HILL, A. C. Agricola Articles by KIRCHHOFF, H. Articles by HILL, A. C.

Mycoplasma elephantis sp. nov., a New Species from Elephants

¹ Institut für Mikrobiologie und Tierseuchen, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, 30173 Hannover, Germany
² Botanisches Institut, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, 30559 Hannover, Germany
³ Mycoplasma Research Institute, Beverly Hills, Florida 32665
⁴ Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit, Carshalton, Surrey SM5 4EF, United Kingdom

^* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany. Phone: (049)-511-856-7595. Fax: (049)-511-856-7697.

ABSTRACT

Organisms with the typical characteristics of mycoplasmas were isolated from the genital tracts of female elephants. The results of growth inhibition tests, metabolic inhibition tests, indirect immunofluorescence tests, and immunobinding assays showed that the isolated mycoplasmas were identical and distinct from previously described Mycoplasma, Entomoplasma, Mesoplasma, and Acholeplasma species. These organisms represent a new species, for which the name Mycoplasma elephantis is proposed. M. elephantis ferments glucose, fructose, maltose, mannose, and sucrose, produces films and spots, does not hydrolyze arginine, esculin, and urea, does not reduce methylene blue, tetrazolium chloride, and potassium tellurite, does not possess phosphatase activity, and reduces resazurin. It lyses avian, ovine, and guinea pig erythrocytes. It does not adsorb erythrocytes. Cholesterol or serum is required for growth. The optimum growth temperature is 37°C. The G+C content of the DNA is 24.0 mol%. The type strain of M. elephantis is E42 (= ATCC 51980).