Bacteria are unicellular entities. These are prokaryotic entities, as they do not possess a membrane-bound nucleus and organelles. It belongs to one main domain in 3 domain classifications. Mycoplasma can be referred to as wall-less bacteria. The important difference between mycoplasma and bacteria is that the bacteria have a cell wall and a definite shape. Mycoplasma, on the other hand, do not have a cell wall and a definite shape.
Mycoplasma
- Genus of bacteria lacking cell wall around its cell membrane
- Its traits make them resistant naturally to antibiotics which aim at the synthesis of cell wall
- They could be saprotrophic or parasitic
- Some of its species are pathogens to humans – M. pneumoniae, M. genitalium
- Their species are the tiniest bacteria cells which are discovered so far and can thrive without oxygen, appear in different shapes
Bacteria
- These are single-celled, microscopic entities
- They are believed to be the first entities appearing on earth about 3.5 billion years ago
- It thrives in communities of millions and measures some micrometres in length
- Bacteria are of different types and can be classified into different types based on different features. One such is based on their shape – rod-shaped, spherical, or spiral.
Key Differences between Mycoplasma and Bacteria
The table below depicts the differences between Mycoplasma and Bacteria.
|
Mycoplasma |
Bacteria |
| What are they? | |
| Bacterial genus lacking a cell wall | Microscopic entities that are ubiquitous |
| Shape | |
| Usually spherical to filamentous | Spiral, coccus, bacillus |
| Shape modifications | |
| Irregularity in shape, they are highly pleomorphic | Due to the presence of a rigid cell wall, their shape is definite |
| Type | |
| Gram-negative, aerobic or facultative aerobic bacteria | It can be of any type |
| Genome | |
| It has a low molecular weight | The genome of bacterial species varies |
Additionally, mycoplasma differs from common bacteria in osmotic fragility, the shape of colony and filterability through the 450 nm pore diameter membrane filters.
You read some differences between Mycoplasma and Bacteria. For more such articles, visit us at BYJU’S NEET.
More here:
Comments