Important Plant Pathogenic Organism – Mycoplasmas or Phytoplasma
MLO’S: Mycoplasmas like organisms
PPLO: Plenuropneumonia like organisms
1. They belong to class “Mollicutes”.
2. Mycoplasmas are unicellular, ultramicroscopic, prokaryotic, self-replicating, highly pleomorphic, filterable organisms or entities.
3. The lack rigid cell wall but the outer boundary of the cells of cytoplasmic membrance also known as “triple layered unit membrane.”
4. Due to lack cell wall, the cells of Mycoplasmas are pleomorphic assuming various shapes, viz. Spherical, ovoid and filamentous.
5. They can pass through bacteria proof filters and can be grown in-viro in living media as facultative or obligate anaerobes, hence they are considered as the microorganism intermediate between bacteria and viruses.
6. They contain both RNA and DNA.
7. They are non motile, Gram – negative, require sterol or cholesterol for their growth.
8. They multiply by budding and binary fission.
9. They are resistant to antibiotics like Penicllin, Cephalosporin and Vancomycin and Susceptible to tetracycline or Chloramphenicol.