| Abstrakt: |
Wall-less prokaryotes from guts of five insect species (a corn root maggot [Plecia sp.: Diptera: Bibionidae, strain PS-1], a syrphid fly [Diptera: Syrphidae, strain YJS], two tabanid flies [Tabanus catenatus, strain TAC, andChrysops discalis, strain DF-2], and a vespid wasp [Monobia quadridens, strain MQ-3]) were characterized. The strains grew at 23°–32°C in conventional mycoplasma media containing 10% (vol/vol) serum, or in serum-free mycoplasma medium with or without fatty-acid-Tween-80 supplements. No helical forms were noted in dark-field microscopy, and electron micrographs of thin sections of the strains showed a single membrane. Two strains (DF and MQ-3) cross reacted with antiserum againstAcholeplasma florum. Although the other three strains did not react with antisera to establishedAcholeplasma orMycoplasma species, they were otherwise characteristic of acholeplasmas. This study, the first to demonstrate acholeplasmas from Arthropoda, in conjunction with previous isolations from plant surfaces, suggests that insects may constitute an important reservoir for acholeplasmas. |
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