Mollicutes

Mol·li·cu·tes (mol″ĭ-kuґtēz) [L. mollis soft + cutis skin] a class of generally parasitic bacteria of the phylum Firmicutes, consisting of pleomorphic, coccoid, or filamentous cells that are bounded by a triple-layered membrane and lack a cell wall but have an internal cytoskeleton. The class comprises the smallest and simplest microorganisms capable of self-replication. Medically important organisms are included in the orders Acholeplasmatales and Mycoplasmatales, as well as the family Erysipelotrichaceae (incertae sedis).