Acholeplasmataceae

The Acholeplasmatales are an order in the class Mollicutes, containing only one family, Acholeplasmataceae, comprising the genera Acholeplasma and Phytoplasma. Yet, Phytoplasma has the Candidatus state, because members still could not be cultured.

Etymology: The name Acholeplasmatales is derived from the Greek a = not, cholè = bile and plasma = anything moulded or formed.
Species in the order Acholeplasmatales can grow in a medium without cholesterol, unlike species in the order Mycoplasmatales. Cholesterol, a sterol, is an important component of the cell membrane of mycoplasmas, whereas in acholeplasmas and in bacteria in general it is absent.