Quantitative assessment of Mycoplasma hemadsorption activity by flow cytometry.

ABSTRACT: A number of adherent mycoplasmas have developed highly complex polar structures that are involved in diverse aspects of the biology of these microorganisms and play a key role as virulence factors by promoting adhesion to host cells in the first stages of infection. Attachment activity of mycoplasma cells has been traditionally investigated by determining their hemadsorption ability to red blood cells and it is a distinctive trait widely examined when characterizing the different mycoplasma species. Despite the fact that protocols to qualitatively determine the hemadsorption or hemagglutination of mycoplasmas are straightforward, current methods when investigating hemadsorption at the quantitative level are expensive and poorly reproducible. By using flow cytometry, we have developed a pro

SUBMITTER: Garcia-Morales L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3907496 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature