Mycoplasma elephantis sp nov, a new species from elephants

Organisms with the typical characteristics of mycoplasmas were isolated from the genital tracts of female elephants. The results of growth inhibition tests, metabolic inhibition tests, indirect immunofluorescence tests, and immunobinding assays showed that the isolated mycoplasmas were identical and distinct from previously described Mycoplasma, Entomoplasma, Mesoplasma, and Acholeplasma species. These organisms represent a new species, for which the name Mycoplasma elephantis is proposed. M-elephantis ferments glucose, fructose, maltose, mannose, and sucrose, produces films and spots, does not hydrolyze arginine, esculin, and urea, does not reduce methylene blue, tetrazolium chloride, and potassium tellurite, does not possess phosphatase activity, and reduces resazurin. It lyses avian, ovine, and guinea pig erythrocytes. It does not adsorb erythrocytes. Cholesterol or serum is required for growth. The optimum growth temperature is 37 degrees C. The G+C content of the DNA is 24.0 mol%. The type strain of M-elephantis is E42 (=ATCC 51980).