ORDER X. MYCOPLASMATALES FREUNDT, 1955. 



(Borrelomycetales Turner, Jour. Path, and Bact., 4^, 1935, 25; Pleuropneumoniales Tulasne 



and Brisou, Ann. Inst. Past., 88, 1955, 237; Freundt, Internat. Bull, of Bact. Nomen. 



and Taxon., 5, 1955, 71; MolUcutales Edward, Internat. Bull, of Bact. 



Nomen. and Taxon., 5, 1955, 89.) 



My.co.plas.ma.ta'les. M.L. neut.n. Mycoplasma type genus of the order; -ales ending to 

 denote an order; M.L. fern. pi. n. Mycoplasmatales the Mycoplasma order. 



Highly pleomorphic organisms which possess a peculiar mode of reproduction (according 

 to some observers) characterized by the breaking up of filaments (with a more or less pro- 

 nounced tendency to true branching) into coccoid, filterable elementary bodies. The cell 

 bodies are soft and fragile; without special precautions they are often distorted or entirely 

 destroyed in microscopical preparations. Non-motile. Typical endospores are never pro- 

 duced. Gram-negative. Growth occurs in agar media, although most of the species have ex- 

 acting nutritional requirements. Pathogenic and saprophytic species occur. 



FAMILY I. MYCOPLASMATACEAE FREUNDT, 1955. 



{Borrelomycetaceae Turner, Jour. Path, and Bact., 4^, 1935, 25; Pleuropneumoniaceae Tulasne 



and Brisou, Ann. Inst. Past., 88, 1955,237; Freundt, Internat. Bull, of Bact. Nomen. 



and Taxon., 5, 1955, 71; also see Edward, Internat. Bull, of Bact. 



Nomen. and Taxon., 5, 1955, 89.) 



My.co.plas.ma.ta'ce.ae. M.L. neut.n. Mycoplasma type genus of the family; -aceae end- 

 ing to denote a family; M.L. fem.pl.n. Mycoplasmataceae the Mycoplasma family. 

 Characters as for the order. 



Genus I. Mycoplasma Nowak, 1929. 



(Asterococcus Borrel, Dujardin-Beaumetz, Jeantet and Jouan, Ann. Inst. Past., ^4, 1910, 



179; not Asterococcus Scherffel, Ber. d. deutsch. Bot. Gesellsch., 26 A, 1908, 762; Cocco- 



bacillus Martzinovski, Ann. Inst. Past., 25, 1911, 917; not Coccobacilhis Gamaleia, 



Cent. f. Bakt., 4, 1888, 167; Micromyces Frosch, Arch. f. wissen. u. prakt. 



Tierheilk., 49, 1923, 35 and 273; not Micromyces Dangeard, Le Botaniste, 1, 



1889, 55; Nowak, Ann. Inst. Past., 43, 1929, 1349; Asteromyces Wroblew- 



ski, Ann. Inst. Past., 4'^, 1931, 105; Anulomyces Wroblewski, ibid., 



Ill; Borrelomyces Turner, Jour. Path, and Bact., 4^ , 1935, 25; 



Bovimyces Sabin, Bact. Rev., 5, 1941, 57; Pleuropneumonia 



Tulasne and Brisou, Ann. Inst. Past., 88, 1955, 237; see 



Freundt, Internat. Bull, of Bact. Nomen. and 



Taxon., 5, 1955, 72; and Edward, Internat. 



Bull, of Bact. Nomen. and Taxon., 5, 



1955, 87.) 



* Prepared by Dr. E. A. Freundt, Statens Seruminstitut, Copenhagen, Denmark, May, 

 1955. 



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