Attachment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae to respiratory epithelium

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Abstract
The attachment of radioisotope-labeled M. pneumoniae to hamster tracheal rings in organ culture was examined by radioautography and liquid scintillation counting. Radioautographs of individual rings exposed for 8 h to [3H]thymidine-labeled virulent M. pneumoniae revealed a dense extracellular collection of emulsion grains along the luminal surface of epithelial cells. Similar exposure of rings to isotope-labeled avirulent M. pneumoniae resulted in no accumulation of emulsion grains. The numbers of attached virulent mycoplasmas, as measured by liquid scintillation counting of infected rings, increased in a nearly linear fashion over an 8-h incubation period. Viability of the mycoplasmas and metabolic integrity of the tracheal rings were important for optimal attachment. Pretreatment of rings with neuraminidase or Na periodate significantly impaired organism adherence. A specificity of interaction between virulent M. pneumoniae and tracheal epithelial cells that can be further examined through the use of isotopically labeled mycoplasmas is suggested.