Mycoplasma Pathogenesis in Veterinary Medicine

Mycoplasmas are a group of wall-less bacteria with minimal genomes that colonise the mucosal surfaces of livestock, notably cattle, swine and small ruminants. In veterinary settings, species such as Mycoplasma bovis, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and related Mollicutes cause respiratory disease, mastitis, arthritis and reproductive disorders, leading to substantial economic losses worldwide. Pathogenesis is driven by a combination of specialised surface proteins, antigenic variation mechanisms and secreted effectors that interfere with host defences. Adhesion factors such as variable surface lipoproteins and enzymes like α-enolase enable firm attachment to epithelial cells, while phase-variable expression of lipoproteins underpins persistent infection and immune evasion. Secreted proteases capable of cleaving host immunoglobulins undermine antibody-mediated clearance. Emerging nucleomodulins translocate to the host nucleus to modulate gene expression and inflammatory pathways. Intracellular persistence within macrophages or epithelial cells has been demonstrated, providing a protective niche against antimicrobials and host immunity. Omics analyses have begun to unravel regulatory circuits controlling virulence operons, while genomic comparisons highlight lateral gene transfer events that equip mycoplasmas with novel pathogenicity islands. Control of mycoplasmoses is challenged by a lack of fully effective vaccines, rising antimicrobial resistance and complex epizootic dynamics. Recent research focuses on dissecting molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction, immune modulation and the development of innovative vaccine platforms and diagnostics.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have characterised an immunoglobulin-binding and protease system (MIB-MIP) present in multiple Mollicutes species. Using transcriptomic and 5′ RACE analyses, individual MIB-MIP operons were shown to be differentially expressed under distinct promoters in a fast-growing Mycoplasma strain. Functional assays in an engineered chassis strain lacking endogenous MIB-MIP genes confirmed surface localisation and activity of heterologous pairs from phylogenetically related ruminant mycoplasmas. This work not only underlines a key mechanism of immune evasion through antibody heavy-chain cleavage but also demonstrates the potential of the chassis strain as a platform for displaying large membrane-associated proteins, paving the way for novel vaccine and drug-delivery applications in livestock.

Mycoplasma Pathogenesis in Veterinary Medicine publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in mycoplasma pathogenesis in veterinary medicine across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

MIB-MIP system: immunoglobulin-binding and protease complex that cleaves host antibodies to facilitate immune evasion.

Nucleomodulin: bacterial effector protein that localises to the host cell nucleus and modulates gene expression.

Phase variation: reversible alteration of surface antigen expression enabling immune evasion.

Lipoprotein: membrane-anchored protein with a lipid moiety involved in adhesion and antigenic variation.

Epizootic: outbreak of disease affecting a large number of animal hosts simultaneously.

Intracellular persistence: survival and replication of a pathogen within host cells, shielding it from immune responses and antimicrobials.

Omics: high-throughput approaches such as genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics for comprehensive characterisation of biological molecules.

References

1. Functional surface expression of immunoglobulin cleavage systems in a candidate Mycoplasma vaccine chassis. Communications Biology (2024).
2. The Identification of a Novel Nucleomodulin MbovP467 of Mycoplasmopsis bovis and Its Potential Contribution in Pathogenesis. Cells (2024).
3. Comparative Geno-Plasticity Analysis of Mycoplasma bovis HB0801 (Chinese Isolate). PLOS ONE (2012).
4. Mycoplasma bovis Infections—Occurrence, Diagnosis and Control. Pathogens (2020).
5. α-Enolase, an Adhesion-Related Factor of Mycoplasma bovis. PLOS ONE (2012).
6. Invasion and persistence of Mycoplasma bovis in embryonic calf turbinate cells. Veterinary Research (2015).