Mycoplasma pneumonia

Mycoplasma pneumonia
Other names: Mycoplasma pneumonia infection
Top: a-d)Pathogenic mechanisms of M. pneumoniae Bottom: M. pneumoniae
Specialty	Infectious disease
Symptoms	Chest pain,chills,cough, fever , headache
Complications	Bronchiolitis obliterans
Causes	M. pneumoniae
Diagnostic method	CBC, bronchoscopy ,CT scan(chest)
Differential diagnosis	Bacterial pneumonia, Chlamydia pneumoniae, aspiration pneumonia
Treatment	NSAIDs, antibiotics

Mycoplasma pneumonia is a form of bacterial pneumonia caused by the bacterial species Mycoplasma pneumoniae. It is also known as PPLO, which is an acronym for Pleuro Pneumonia Like Organism.

Symptoms can include a persistent cough, fever, fatigue, sore throat. The bacteria spread through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.Many cases resolve on their own, antibiotics may be prescribed for more severe infections.

Signs and symptoms

The presentation of this condition is consistent with the following:

• Fever
• Fatigue
• Worsening cough
• Headache

Complications

As to the complications an affected individual may have are the following:

• Bronchiolitis obliterans
• Lung abscess
• ARDS
• Necrotizing pneumonitis
• Pleural effusion

Cause

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a unique bacterium that belongs to the class Mollicutes. Unlike most bacteria, it lacks a rigid cell wall, which makes it resistant to antibiotics like beta-lactams that target cell wall synthesis. It is one of the smallest self-replicating organisms and relies heavily on its host for nutrients due to its reduced genome and limited metabolic pathways

Mechanism

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is spread through respiratory droplet transmission. Once attached to the mucosa of a host organism, M. pneumoniae extracts nutrients, grows, and reproduces by binary fission. Attachment sites include the upper and lower respiratory tract, causing pharyngitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia. The infection caused by this bacterium is called atypical pneumonia because of its protracted course and lack of sputum production and wealth of extrapulmonary symptoms. Chronic Mycoplasma infections have been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatological diseases.

Diagnosis

Right upper and middle lobe infiltration in a individual with mycoplasma pneumonia.

M. pneumoniae infections can be differentiated from other types of pneumonia by the relatively slow progression of symptoms.Diagnostic indications would be a positive blood test for cold-hemagglutinins in about half of patients after 10 days of infection, lack of bacteria in a Gram-stained sputum sample, and a lack of growth on blood agar. Polymerase chain reaction has also been used.

Differential diagnosis

As to the DDx in the affected individual we find the following:

• Bacterial pneumonia
• Chlamydia pneumoniae
• Aspiration pneumonia
• Coxiella burnetii infection
• Legionella pneumophila
• Q fever

Prevention

As to prevention of Mycoplasma pneumonia we find there is currently no vaccine, however you may do the following:

• Practice good hygiene
• Stop smoking

Treatment

While antibiotics with activity specifically against M. pneumoniae are often used (e.g., erythromycin, doxycycline), it is unclear if these result in greater benefit than using antibiotics without specific activity against this organism in those with an infection acquired in the community. It should be noted that macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia is treated with glucocorticoids or intravenous immunoglobulin(in severe cases)

Epidemiology

Interpolated M. pneumoniae incidence from 2000 to 2012

As to M. pneumoniae infections are estimated to occur in about 1% of the US population annually, but the actual incidence is likely higher due to mild or undiagnosed cases.

M. pneumoniae was a frequent cause of respiratory tract infections globally, with an incidence of 8.6 percent detected through direct testing from 2017 to 2020

History

The discovery of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, the bacterium responsible for atypical pneumonia, has an interesting history. In 1944, Monroe Eaton cultivated an agent linked to human pneumonia, which was initially referred to as the 'Eaton agent'.

See also

• Mycoplasmal pneumonia of swine

External links

Classification	ICD-10: J15.7 ICD-9-CM: 483.0 MeSH: D011019
External resources	MedlinePlus: 000082 eMedicine: emerg/467