Insights on the virulence of swine respiratory tract mycoplasmas through genome-scale metabolic modeling

We were able to infer from the reconstructed networks that the lack of pathogenicity of M. flocculare if compared to the highly pathogenic M. hyopneumoniae may be related to its incapacity to produce cytotoxic hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, the ability of M. hyorhinis to grow in diverse sites and even in different hosts may be a reflection of its enhanced and wider carbohydrate uptake. Altogether, the metabolic differences highlighted in silico and in vitro provide important insights to the different levels of pathogenicity observed in each of the studied species.