Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Antigen-Capture Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Specific Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Published on: February 24, 2023
Role of phenotypic diversity in pathogenesis of avian mycoplasmosis
1School of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, Australia. amirh@unimelb.edu.au
Abstract:
The interactions between avian mycoplasmas and their host cells are far more complex than might be anticipated from their apparent structural and functional simplicity. Phenotypic diversity in the form of reversible phase variation, antigenic variation or size variation is an adaptive mechanism that enables avian mycoplasmas to survive in a hostile and highly evolved host. Despite significant similarities between major membrane antigens of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae, the molecular mechanisms that mediate phenotypic variation in these two pathogens are completely different. Throughout the years, these mechanisms have evolved side by side with their host immune system and provided mycoplasmas the capacity to colonize, invade and persist in an intricate host. In this article, recent advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of phenotypic variation are reviewed, and implications of such variation in pathogenesis of the disease and development of vaccines and diagnostic assays are outlined.
More Related Videos
10:38Deciphering and Imaging Pathogenesis and Cording of Mycobacterium abscessus in Zebrafish Embryos
Published on: September 9, 2015
12:21A Mouse Model for the Transition of Streptococcus pneumoniae from Colonizer to Pathogen upon Viral Co-Infection Recapitulates Age-Exacerbated Illness
Published on: September 28, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Atypical Pneumonia
Diversity of Protists II
Viral Mutations
Malaria
Complementation Tests
Organisms heterozygous for different mutations are crossed pairwise in all combinations. If present on different genes, the mutations can complement each other by providing the missing...
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...