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. 1977 Nov;18(2):393–399. doi: 10.1128/iai.18.2.393-399.1977

Mycoplasma-dependent activation of normal lymphocytes: mitogenic potential of mycoplasmas for mouse lymphocytes.

B C Cole, K E Aldridge, J R Ward
PMCID: PMC421245  PMID: 924676

Abstract

Nonviable preparations of a wide variety of glucose-utilizing mycoplasma species, including Acholeplasma laidlawii and Spiroplasma citri, were found to be mitogenic for mouse lymphocytes. Particularly strong reactions were obtained with Mycoplasma synoviae, M. gallisepticum, M. pneumoniae, S. citri, and a strain of M. fermentans that was previously isolated from a leukemic patient. Nonviable preparations of arginine-utilizing mycoplasmas inhibited the uptake of [3H]thymidine by lymphocytes, but this effect could be reversed by heat treatment or arginine supplementation, and a stimulatory effect was then observed. Viable M. arthritidis was also found to have a mitogenic effect, as detected by an increased uptake of [3H]thymidine by normal lymphocytes and by autoradiographic techniques in which an increase in the numbers of transformed cells was seen. These observations provide the potential for enhanced immunological responsiveness or lymphokine-mediated inflammation in mycoplasma-infected hosts.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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