An improved method for the identification of Mycoplasma dispar

An indirect immunoperoxidase test is described for easy and reliable identification of Mycoplasma dispar. Cultures suspected of being M. dispar were grown on nitrocellulose filter papers and could be identified without having produced centre-forming colonies. These develop only after several passages in vitro and are required for standard identification procedures such as immunofluorescence or growth inhibition. It is to be expected that the method reported here could also be useful for the identification of other mycoplasma species forming centre-less colonies.