Flat gel polyacrylamide electrophoresis of porcine mycoplasmas

The flat gel acrylamide electrophoresis technique was standardized and applied to the comparison of four species of porcine mycoplasmas. Clear differences were observed between these species, and differences were seen among the strains of Mycoplasma hyosynoviae. The clarity of the patterns and the number of bands developed was influenced by the amount of protein in the extract and the age of the culture. The technique allows the comparison of several protein extracts in parallel without the problems associated with the rearrangement of separate gel columns.