Mycoplasma Pneumonia Infection

The immune system can fight off MP in many healthy adults before it grows into an infection. Those most at risk include:

• older adults
• people who have diseases that compromise their immune system, like HIV, or who are on chronic steroids, immunotherapy, or chemotherapy
• people who have lung disease
• people who have sickle cell disease
• children younger than age 5

MP symptoms are different from those of typical pneumonia caused by common bacteria, like Streptococcus and Haemophilus.

Patients usually do not have severe shortness of breath, high fever, and a productive cough with MP. Instead, they have a low-grade fever, dry cough, mild shortness of breath (especially with exertion), and fatigue.

MP may mimic an upper respiratory infection or common cold rather than a lower respiratory infection or pneumonia. A dry cough is the most common sign of infection. Other symptoms may be:

• malaise
• mild shortness of breath

In rare cases, the infection can become dangerous and damage the heart or central nervous system. Examples of these disorders include:

• arthritis, in which the joints become inflamed
• pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardium that surrounds the heart
• Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological disorder that can lead to paralysis and death
• encephalitis, a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the brain
• kidney failure
• hemolytic anemia
• rare and dangerous skin conditions like Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis
• rare ear problems like bullous myringitis

In rare cases, MP may be fatal.

In some cases, an MP infection can become dangerous. If you have asthma, MP can make your symptoms worse. MP can also develop into a more severe case of pneumonia.

Long-term MP is rare, but some research suggests that it could play a role in chronic lung disease. In rare cases, untreated MP can be fatal.

Other potential complications of MP include:

• respiratory failure
• lung abscess
• acute respiratory distress syndrome
• lung consolidation
• bronchiolitis obliterans

See your doctor right away if you experience any symptoms, especially if they last for more than 2 weeks.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are the first line of treatment for MP. Children get different antibiotics than adults to prevent potentially dangerous side effects.

Macrolides, the first choice of antibiotics for children, include:

• erythromycin
• clarithromycin
• roxithromycin
• azithromycin

Antibiotics prescribed for adults include:

• doxycycline
• tetracycline
• quinolones, like levofloxacin and moxifloxacin

Corticosteroids

Sometimes antibiotics alone are not enough, and you have to be treated with corticosteroids to manage the inflammation. Examples of such corticosteroids include:

• prednisolone
• methylprednisolone

Immunomodulatory therapy

If you have severe MP, you may need other “immunomodulatory therapy” in addition to corticosteroids, including intravenous immunoglobulin or IVIG.

MP usually develops without noticeable symptoms for the first 1 to 3 weeks after exposure. Early-stage diagnosis is difficult because the body doesn’t instantly reveal an infection.

The infection can manifest outside of your lung. If this happens, signs of infection may include the breakup of red blood cells, a skin rash, and joint involvement.

In order to make a diagnosis, your doctor uses a stethoscope to listen for any abnormal sounds in your breathing. A chest X-ray and a CT scan may also help your doctor make a diagnosis.

The risk of contracting MP peaks in the fall and winter months. Close or crowded places make it easy for the infection to transmit from person to person.

To lower your risk of infection, try the following:

• Get 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night.
• Eat a balanced diet.
• Avoid people with symptoms of MP.
• Practice good hygiene by washing your hands before eating or after interacting with infected people.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, M. pneumoniae is the second most common cause of pneumonia-related hospitalizations in adults.

Most people develop antibodies to MP after an acute infection, which protect them from becoming infected again. Patients who have a weak immune system, like those with HIV or people treated with chronic steroids, immunomodulators, or chemotherapy, may be at a higher risk of reinfection.

For others, symptoms should subside 1 to 2 weeks after treatment. A cough may linger, but most cases resolve with no lasting consequences within 4 to 6 weeks.

See your doctor if you continue to experience severe symptoms or if the infection is interfering with your daily life. You may need to seek treatment or a diagnosis for any other conditions that your MP infection might’ve caused.