Mycoplasmas are significant pathogens in humans, food animals, and wildlife. Existing antibody- and nucleic acid-based methods for detection and diagnosis have severe limitations, the consequences of which range from continued spread and increased risk for development of secondary complications in humans, to increased production costs for food animals. Thus, the inability to provide rapid, sensitive, and expedient detection of mycoplasmas in the complex biochemical backgrounds of clinical specimens is a major obstacle to the control of mycoplasma disease. Nanorod array-surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy was applied to the detection and identification of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a leading cause of bronchitis and atypical pneumonia in humans, in simulated and true clinical throat swab samples. Results from those studies will be presented, followed by general observations regarding the interface between nanotechnology and infectious disease research.