Attachment of Mycoplasma hominis and M. orale to Human Diploid Lung Fibroblasts

The process of attachment of Mycoplasma hominis and M. orale to HAIN‐55 cells, derived from normal embryonic human lung, was investigated quantitatively. The attachment reached its maximum within about 2–4 hr at 37 C and increased linearly as a function of the number of organisms present in the system. The relative attachment efficiency of M. hominis was approximately 1% under our experimental conditions. Trypsin and EDTA were effective in detaching particles of M. hominis and M. orale from the surfaces of HAIN‐55 cells. Therefore it was suggested that some proteinaceous substance and salt bridges might be involved in the attachment of these mycoplasmas to HAIN‐55 cells.