The main difference between Mycoplasma hominis and genitalium is that Mycoplasma hominis is a pleomorphic bacteria, whereas genitalium is a bacteria with a fixed rod-like shape.
Mycoplasma hominis and Mycoplasma genitalium are both species of bacteria that can be found in the human genital tract. They cause various infections.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Mycoplasma Hominis
– Definition, Features, Importance
2. What is Mycoplasma Genitalium
– Definition, Features, Importance
3. Similarities – Mycoplasma hominis and genitalium
– Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Mycoplasma hominis and genitalium
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium
What is Mycoplasma hominis?
Mycoplasma hominis is a common mollicute bacteria. The genus of this bacteria is mycoplasma. They belong to the domain Bacteria, phylum Mycoplasmatota, class Mollicutes, order Mycoplasmataceae, and family Mycoplasmataceae. They are one of the smallest free-living organisms. Their genome is also very small than other bacteria.
Mycoplasma hominis bacteria are present in the urinary tract of almost all humans. Moreover, they do not have cell walls. They only have very soft skin. Not having a cell wall is important because many antibiotics kill bacteria by weakening those cell walls. Since these bacteria do not have cell walls, some antibodies, like penicillin, do not work against them.
Mycoplasma hominis has the ability to penetrate the interior of human cells. Mycoplasma hominis transfers from one person to another by having sex with an infected person. Another method of spreading is from a pregnant mother to the baby during the delivery. It also develops PID, pelvic inflammatory disease in women. Mycoplasma hominis lives in about half of all women and fewer men. They rarely cause infections. Women who have a weakened immune system are most susceptible to the bacteria. In pregnant women, this bacteria may cause problems such as ectopic pregnancy, early delivery, and miscarriage. Mycoplasma hominis can also cause fever and infections in newborn babies. It is also associated with male infertility. They also cause various infections at congenital sites, especially in immune-compromised patients and neonates.
What is Mycoplasma genitalium
Mycoplasma genitalium is a small pathogenic bacterium. They belong to the domain Bacteria, phylum Mycoplasmatota, class Mollicutes, order Mycoplasmatalase, family Mycoplasmataceae and genus mycoplasma. Furthermore, the binomial name of genitalium is Mycoplasma genitalium.
This bacterium can cause sexually transmitted diseases. One could get the infection by having sex with someone who already has the infection. One could also get infected by this bacteria by even sexual touching or ribbing.
Genitalium does not always show symptoms. Therefore, one could have the infection without knowing it. The symptoms in men infected by this bacterium include a watery discharge from the penis and a stinging or burning pain when a male urinate. In infected females, the symptoms could be the discharges from the vagina, pain during sex, bleeding after sex, bleeding between periods, or pain in the pelvic area below the belly button. Genitalium can also cause urethritis, in which the urethra is irritated, swollen, or itchy. It also causes pelvic inflammatory disease and cervicitis.
A urine sample is required to test whether one is infected by genitalium. Sometimes, a doctor might use a swab to take a sample from the vagina, cervix, or urethra, the tube that carries urine out of your body.
Similarities Between Mycoplasma Hominis and Genitalium
- Mycoplasma hominis and Mycoplasma genitalium are both species of bacteria present in the human genital tract.
- Moreover, both of these species cause various infections.
Difference Between Mycoplasma Hominis and Genitalium
Definition
Mycoplasma hominins is a common mollicute bacteria present in almost all humans in the urinary tract, while genitalium is a pathogenic bacterium that can cause sexually transmitted infections of the genital tract.
Classification
Mycoplasma hominis belong to the domain Bacteria, phylum Mycoplasmatota, class Mollicutes, order Mycoplasmataceae, and family Mycoplasmataceae, while Mycoplasma genitalium belongs to the domain Bacteria, phylum Mycoplasmatota, class Mollicutes, order Mycoplasmatalase, family Mycoplasmataceae and genus Mycoplasma.
Morphology
Mycoplasma hominis is a pleomorphic bacteria that can change its size and shape according to the environment, whereas Mycoplasma genitalium is a small, simple bacteria with a fixed rod-like shape.
Pathogenicity
Mycoplasma hominis is more commonly associated with bacterial vaginosis and pelvic inflammatory disease, while Mycoplasma genitalium is commonly associated with sexually transmitted diseases.
Clinical Significance
Mycoplasma genitalium has been implicated in several reproductive health issues, including urethritis, cervicitis, and pelvic inflammatory disease, while Mycoplasma hominis is less frequently associated with these conditions.
Conclusion
In brief, Mycoplasma hominis and Mycoplasma genitalium are found in the human genital tract, which causes infections. The main difference between Mycoplasma hominis and gentalium is that Mycoplasma hominis is a pleomorphic bacteria, whereas genitalium is a bacteria with a fixed rod-like shape.
Reference:
1. “Mycoplasma Genitalium.” Sexual Health Victoria.
2. “Mycoplasma hominis.” Confidante.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Default(1)” By Isseki Yu, Takaharu Mori, Tadashi Ando, Ryuhei Harada, Jaewoon Jung, Yuji Sugita, Michael Feig – Yu, Isseki, et al. “Biomolecular interactions modulate macromolecular structure and dynamics in atomistic model of a bacterial cytoplasm” Elife 5 (2016): e19274. (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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