Characterization ofMycoplasma pulmonisVariants Isolated from Rabbits I. Identification and Properties of Isolates

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Mycoplasmashowing at least two colony types were isolated from the nares and oropharynx of New Zealand white rabbits. Two strains were purified by single-colony passages and characterized. Morphology by phase-contrast and electron microscopy was typical ofMycoplasmataceae. Both grew anaerobically as well as aerobically, caused hemolysis of guinea pig, sheep, and horse red blood cells, and fermented glucose. These characteristics are shared by members of the speciesM. pulmonis, commonly isolated from the respiratory tracts of laboratory rats and mice. By use of the growth-inhibition test and agar-gel double-diffusion tests, the two strains were found to be serologically related to each other and toM. pulmonisATCC 14267 but not to other representativeMycoplasmaspecies from man and animals.