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Abstract
Mycoplasma and SARS-CoV-2 Virus: A Marriage of Convenience or A Binary Biological Weapon? A Psychiatrist’s Perspective.
Mycoplasma is the smallest, independently replicating microbe that lacks a cell wall and resembles a liposome because of its sterol-rich cell membrane. Under pathological circumstances, Mycoplasmas cause respiratory and urogenital infections in humans.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is known to be associated with Mycoplasma genitalium, suggesting that viruses may commonly utilize Mycoplasmas to enhance infectivity. Along this line, COVID-19 critical illness was documented in individuals with concomitant Mycoplasma infection, raising the possibility of a symbiotic relationship or binary biological weapon.
Binary biological weapons are comprised of two components that are safe to handle separately but, in combination, become lethal. For example, concomitant infection with hepatitis D and B is deadly because the D virus takes advantage of the proteins expressed by the B virus, turning this infection into a fatal disease.
Mycoplasmas have been known for their neuropsychiatric manifestations, including psychosis, anxiety, depressive disorders, cognitive impairment, and schizophrenia. This is relevant as Mycoplasmas, like many antipsychotic drugs, enter host cells via clathrin-dependent endocytic pathways, often remaining dormant in endosomes. Moreover, Mycoplasmas express aryl hydrocarbon receptor, a transcription factor activated by many ligands relevant to neuropsychiatry, including dopamine, se rotonin, melatonin, clozapine, carbidopa, tryptophan, and microbial metabolites. Mycoplasma-expressed AhR, like its human counterpart, senses environmental stimuli, including viruses, indicating that it may play a role in the Mycoplasma/SARS-CoV-2 symbiosis.
This perspective article examines Mycoplasma and its relationship with COVID-19, premature cellular senescence, and major depressive disorder. We also discuss neuropathology potentially associated with designer pathogens and some therapeutic strategies.