Mycoplasmatales

An order of Gram-negative bacteria containing cells which are bounded by a three-layered membrane but which do not possess a true cell wall. The minimal reproductive units are 0.2 to 0.3 μm in diameter. Pathogenic and saprophytic species occur. These organisms reproduce through the breaking up of branched filaments into coccoid, filterable elementary bodies. The order includes the so-called pleuropneumonia-like organisms, under organism (PPLO).

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My·co·plas·ma·ta·les (mi″ko-plaz″mə-taґləs) an order of bacteria of the class Mollicutes, containing a single family, the Mycoplasmataceae.