Mycoplasma hominis
MICROBIOLOGY
- Aerobic, fastidious organism; easier to cultivate than M. genitalium.
- Differs from bacteria due to smaller size, sterols in the membrane and lack of a cell wall.
- Due to the lack of a cell wall, M. hominis:
- Is intrinsically resistant to β-lactams
- Cannot be detected on Gram stain
- It differs from M. genitalium because it is intrinsically resistant to 14-member macrolides (erythromycin and clarithromycin; see discussion below).
- M. hominis grows on blood or chocolate agar plates and broth cultures.
- Visible colonies in 2 - 5 days.
- Colonies are very small (0.2mm) and translucent, so that they can be easily missed. They have a "fried egg" appearance on agar [Fig, denser in the center and less dense in the periphery].
- Communicate with the micro lab if you suspect Mycoplasma hominis infection so they can use media that favors Mycoplasma hominis growth.
- M. hominis in blood culture systems appears to be inhibited by the anticoagulant polyanethole sulfonate which can be neutralized by adding gelatin to a 1% concentration in the blood culture medium, but this is not done routinely.
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Last updated: February 4, 2023
Citation
Fabre, Valeria. "Mycoplasma Hominis." Johns Hopkins ABX Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2023. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540644/all/Mycoplasma_hominis.
Fabre V. Mycoplasma hominis. Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2023. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540644/all/Mycoplasma_hominis. Accessed November 12, 2024.
Fabre, V. (2023). Mycoplasma hominis. In Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540644/all/Mycoplasma_hominis
Fabre V. Mycoplasma Hominis [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2023. [cited 2024 November 12]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540644/all/Mycoplasma_hominis.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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