A putative transposase gene in the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region of Mycoplasma imitans.

Examination of the nucleotide sequences of the 16S-23S intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) region of Mycoplasma imitans and Mycoplasma gallisepticum identified a putative transposase gene located only in the ITS of M. imitans, which can be used as a genetic marker to distinguish these two species. The relative size of the PCR products of the ITS region allowed a clear distinction to be made between strains of M. imitans and M. gallisepticum, both of which could be readily discriminated from the type strains of all the other recognized avian Mycoplasma species. In addition, the putative transposase gene assigned in the ITS of M. imitans was shown to include a sequence homologous to that of the P75 gene of M. gallisepticum. This is believed to be the first description of an insertion element in the rRNA operon region of a mycoplasma species.