Pathogenicity and cytadherence of Mycoplasma imitans in chicken and duck embryo tracheal organ cultures

Abstract

Two strains of the avian organism Mycoplasma imitans were examined for pathogenicity and cytadherence in chicken and dock embryo tracheal organ cultures, and a virulent strain of the related pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum was included for comparison. All consistently caused ciliostasis in tracheal explants from both hosts, and examination of infected tissues by immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that M. imitans proliferated on the epithelial surface and adhered to the respiratory epithelium by means of its terminal tip structure in the same manner as M. gallisepticum. These observations endorse the striking phenotypic similarities between M. imitans and M. gallisepticum and suggest that M. imitans may have pathogenic potential in vivo.