Mitogenicity of Mycoplasma fermentans for human lymphocytes.

The in vitro stimulation response of human lymphocytes to Mycoplasma fermentans was examined. M. fermentans stimulated DNA synthesis in blood lymphocytes from all of 20 healthy subjects examined. Only one of these subjects had complement-fixing antibodies to M. fermentans. Lymphocytes from 21 of 22 adenoids and from 1 spleen were also stimulated to DNA synthesis by M. fermentans. The organism induced DNA synthesis in both B and T lymphocytes from adenoids and spleen and preferentially in T lymphocytes from blood. M. fermentans was shown to activate adenoid lymphocytes to non-amtogem-specific antibody secretion demonstrable by a hemolytic plaque assay. It is concluded that M. fermentans can have a mitogenic effect on both B and T lymphocytes.