As shown in the results reported in the previous part 1, M. orale had no pathogenicity for the hamster. In this report it was investigated whether the existence of M. orale and M. salivarium in the respiratory tract is common in normal asymptomatic individuals and in patients with respiratory diseases and if these organisms play any pathogenic role in the acute exacerbations of respiratory diseases.
(a) Role of M. orale and M. salivarium in normal individuals.
In 564 university students and 162 middle school students, mycoplasma isolations were made using TSB solution under aerobic and anaerobic (95% N2 + 5% CO2) conditions. Of the 726 isolations made, 541 (74.5%) were M. salvarium, 26 (3.6%), M. orale, 2 (0.3%), M. pneumoniae, and 77 (10.6%) were others and 80 (11.0%) showed no growth.
There was no relationship between the mycoplasma isolations and the complement-fixation titers. M. orale and M. salivarium were not isolated more frequently from the patients with oropharyngeal pathology than from normal individuals.
(b) Role of M. orate and M. salivarium of the patients with respiratory diseases.
Six hundred forty-four specimens from the patients with respiratory diseases have been studied for mycoplasma. Mycoplasma species were isolated in 47.2% of total patients which included 37.6% of M. salivarium, 7.9% of M. orale, and 1.7% of M. pneumoniae. As shown in table 3, mycoplasma species have been isolated most frequently (61.5%) in the patients with bronchial asthma, followed by bacterialpneumonia (50.0%), and chronic obstructive lung diseases (49.0%). The isolation rate was lower in the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and bronchiectasis. M. salivarium could be cultivated from only one of 18 specimens obtained by aspiration through a vinyl tube inserted transorally. No pathogenic correlation was noted between mycoplasma and bacterial organisms present in the oropharynx of the patients with respiratory diseases. However, from the group of patients treated with some antibiotics prior to specimen collection especially macrolide derivatives, tetracycline and kanamycin, lower mycoplasma isolation rates were found.
The results reported in this study did not indicate that M. orale and M. salivarium had a significant pathogenic role in the respiratory tract diseases.
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