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Infection and Immunity, August 2007, p. 3696-3699, Vol. 75, No. 8
0019-9567/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00440-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Biofilms Protect Mycoplasma pulmonis Cells from Lytic Effects of Complement and Gramicidin

Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294

Received 26 March 2007/ Returned for modification 7 May 2007/ Accepted 13 May 2007

The length of the tandem repeat region of the Vsa protein of Mycoplasma pulmonis has previously been shown to modulate the susceptibility of mycoplasmas to killing by complement: cells that produce a short form of the Vsa protein are highly sensitive, and cells producing the long Vsa protein are resistant. In contrast to their differing susceptibilities to complement, the mycoplasmas were highly sensitive to gramicidin irrespective of the length of the Vsa protein produced. We show here that when encased within a biofilm, cells of M. pulmonis producing a short form of the Vsa protein were more resistant to complement and gramicidin than mycoplasmas that were dispersed. The resistance appeared to be localized to those mycoplasmas within tower structures of the biofilms. Biofilm formation may be a mechanism that protects mycoplasmas from host immunity.

Published ahead of print on 21 May 2007.

Editor: A. Camilli