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Signature Reviews

Pathogenicity and virulence of Mycoplasma genitalium: Unraveling Ariadne’s Thread

, , , , & ORCID Icon
Pages 1161-1183 | Received 18 Jan 2022, Accepted 26 Jun 2022, Published online: 05 Jul 2022
 

ABSTRACT

Mycoplasma genitalium, a pathogen from class Mollicutes, has been linked to sexually transmitted diseases and sparked widespread concern. To adapt to its environment, M. genitalium has evolved specific adhesins and motility mechanisms that allow it to adhere to and invade various eukaryotic cells, thereby causing severe damage to the cells. Even though traditional exotoxins have not been identified, secreted nucleases or membrane lipoproteins have been shown to cause cell death and inflammatory injury in M. genitalium infection. However, as both innate and adaptive immune responses are important for controlling infection, the immune responses that develop upon infection do not necessarily eliminate the organism completely. Antigenic variation, detoxifying enzymes, immunoglobulins, neutrophil extracellular trap-degrading enzymes, cell invasion, and biofilm formation are important factors that help the pathogen overcome the host defence and cause chronic infections in susceptible individuals. Furthermore, M. genitalium can increase the susceptibility to several sexually transmitted pathogens, which significantly complicates the persistence and chronicity of M. genitalium infection. This review aimed to discuss the virulence factors of M. genitalium to shed light on its complex pathogenicity and pathogenesis of the infection.

This article is part of the following collections:
Virulence Signature Series

Acknowledgments

The figure is created with BioRender.com.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

Conceptualization: X. X. Y.; Writing: Y. Y. W.; Review and editing: F.C.X., Y. X. X., and Y. W. C.

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable for this article, as no new data were created or analysed in this study.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [31670177].