Index: trac/db/mysql_backend.py
===================================================================
--- trac/db/mysql_backend.py	(revision 5395)
+++ trac/db/mysql_backend.py	(working copy)
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 _like_escape_re = re.compile(r'([/_%])')
 
+import MySQLdb
 
 class MySQLConnector(Component):
     """MySQL database support for version 4.1 and greater.
@@ -43,7 +44,6 @@
                        port=None, params={}):
         cnx = MySQLConnection(path, user, password, host, port, params)
         if not self._version:
-            import MySQLdb
             self._version = get_pkginfo(MySQLdb).get('version',
                                                      MySQLdb.__version__)
             mysql_info = 'server: "%s", client: "%s", thread-safe: %s' % \
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@
         Note that the tuple only checks the major, minor, and sub versions;
         the sub-sub version is weird, so we only check for 'final' versions.
         """
-        from MySQLdb import version_info as ver
+        ver = MySQLdb.version_info
         if ver[0] < v[0] or ver[1] < v[1] or ver[2] < v[2]:
             return False
         if ver[3] != 'final':
@@ -144,8 +144,6 @@
 
     def __init__(self, path, user=None, password=None, host=None,
                  port=None, params={}):
-        import MySQLdb
-
         if path.startswith('/'):
             path = path[1:]
         if password == None: