Sensitivity of mycoplasmas of the respiratory tract of pigs and horses to erythromycin and its use in selective media.

This research article evaluated the effect of erythromycin on different species of mycoplasmas found in the respiratory system of pigs and horses, finding that it can suppress the growth of certain types of these microorganisms.

Objective of the Research

• The main aim of the study was to determine the efficacy of erythromycin, an antibiotic medication, in inhibiting the growth of specific species of acholeplasma and mycoplasma. These are types of bacteria often found in the respiratory tracts of pigs and horses.

Testing of Erythromycin

• The researchers tested erythromycin on eight species of acholeplasma and thirteen species of mycoplasma.
• They discovered that the Acholeplasma species and two types of Mycoplasma species from horses (a type that metabolizes glucose slowly and another strain referred to as N3) were sensitive to erythromycin.
• This implies that erythromycin can effectively suppress the growth of these bacteria being sensitive suggests that these bacteria cannot thrive in an environment containing erythromycin.

Relevance of the Findings

• These results are significant because they provide insights on the potential use of erythromycin in controlling infections caused by these bacteria in the respiratory tracts of pigs and horses.
• Additionally, the findings suggest that erythromycin can potentially be used in selective media, a special type of growth media used in microbiology to encourage the growth of certain organisms and restrict the growth of others, to isolate these pathogenic bacteria.
• However, the study also found that, particularly for horses, erythromycin might suppress not only Acholeplasma species but also two Mycoplasma species of unknown pathogenicity, those whose disease-causing potential remains unclear.
• Therefore, more research is required to better understand the potential impacts of using erythromycin in horses.

Limitations of the Study

• One limitation of this study is that the pathogenicity, or the capability of the organisms to cause disease, of the different bacterial species were not fully explored.