title: Animal model of Mycoplasma fermentans respiratory infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mycoplasma fermentans has been associated with respiratory, genitourinary tract infections and rheumatoid diseases but its role as pathogen is controversial. The purpose of this study was to probe that Mycoplasma fermentans is able to produce respiratory tract infection and migrate to several organs on an experimental infection model in hamsters. One hundred and twenty six hamsters were divided in six groups (A-F) of 21 hamsters each. Animals of groups A, B, C were intratracheally injected with one of the mycoplasma strains: Mycoplasma fermentans P 140 (wild strain), Mycoplasma fermentans PG 18 (type strain) or Mycoplasma pneumoniae Eaton strain. Groups D, E, F were the negative, media, and sham controls. Fragments of trachea, lungs, kidney, heart, brain and spleen were cultured and used for the histopathological study. U frequency test was used to compare recovery of mycoplasmas from organs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mycoplasmas were detected by culture and PCR. The three mycoplasma strains induced an interstitial pneumonia; they also migrated to several organs and persisted there for at least 50 days. Mycoplasma fermentans P 140 induced a more severe damage in lungs than Mycoplasma fermentans PG 18. Mycoplasma pneumoniae produced severe damage in lungs and renal damage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mycoplasma fermentans induced a respiratory tract infection and persisted in different organs for several weeks in hamsters. This finding may help to explain the ability of Mycoplasma fermentans to induce pneumonia and chronic infectious diseases in humans.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Micoplasmas, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas del Instituto de Ciencias de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. San Manuel, Puebla, Pue, México.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yáñez
authors.forename: Azucena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez-Ramos
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Calixto
authors.forename: Francisco Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: González-Matus
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rivera-Tapia
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giono
authors.forename: Constantino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.forename: Lilia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cedillo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D006224:Cricetinae; D017931:DNA Primers; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016858:Mycoplasma fermentans / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers