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Mycoplasma is a genus of small bacteria which lack cell walls. Several species are pathogenic in humans, including M. pneumoniae, which is an important cause of pneumonia and other respiratory disorders, and M. genitalium, which is involved in pelvic inflammatory diseases.

Mycoplasma are members of the class Mollicutes . Mollicutes are bacteria which have small genomes, lack a cell wall and have low G+C content. Mycoplasmas are parasites of humans, animals, insects and plants. It is widely believed that Mycoplasmas are descendants of the Lactobacillus-Clostridium branch of the phylogenetic tree ( Firmictues sensu stricto).

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• Compare the size of these small bacteria to the sizes of other cells and viruses.