Mesoplasma florum

Classification

Higher order taxa

Bacteria; Firmicutes; Mollicutes; Entomoplasmatales; Entomoplasmataceae; Mesoplasma

Species

Mesoplasma florum

NCBI: Taxonomy

Description and significance

Mesoplasma florum is a Mycoplasma species, which come from the bacteria Mollicutes. Mollicutes do not have a cell wall and are parasitic to humans, animals, and plants. Mycoplasma are characteristically small, as well as self-replicating. Although Mesoplasma florum are a species of Mycoplasma, Mesoplasma florum are not parasitic and are non-motile, unlike Mycoplasma. Like Mycoplasma, Mesoplasma florum are also have a very small genome size (smaller than 1Mb). (1)

Gene sequencing of Mesoplasma florum is important because it is the smallest self-replicating organism, Mycoplasma, and therefore, is itself very small. Furthermore, Micoplasma florum is non-motile, so it is used to study and identify genes that are linked to motility.(1)