title: The cell wall-less rickettsia Eperythrozoon wenyonii is a Mycoplasma.
abstract: The 16S rRNA gene of Eperythrozoon (Haemobartonella) wenyonii, a wall-less hemotrophic prokaryote currently classified as a rickettsia, was sequenced to determine the relationship of this organism to other wall-less prokaryotes. Comparison to the GenBank data base showed that this hemotrophic organism is a Mycoplasma (family Mollicutes). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes indicated that this and other recently sequenced 16S rRNA genes of hemotrophic bacteria form a new, separate branch which shares a node in common with the pneumoniae group of mycoplasmas. This result will require that Eperythrozoon wenyonii be reclassified as a Mycoplasma. A main point of this study is that this and related hemotrophic bacteria represent an entirely new group of pathogens among the mycoplasmas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Morse Institute for Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, State University of New York, Brooklyn 11203, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Neimark
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kocan
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010802:Phylogeny; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S