Mycoplasma pneumonia: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatments
Mycoplasma pneumonia spreads through the respiratory system and the latency period is about 12-14 days on average. It is prevalent every three to four years, especially in autumn and winter. This is the highest incidence of childhood school children. M. pneumoniae affects respiratory ciliated epithelial cells and causes inflammation. After infection, the cold hemagglutinin response to the red blood cell I antigen begins to appear nonspecifically after one week, and increases by four times over four weeks and becomes negative after four months. The test for M. pneumonia specific antibodies includes complement binding test and immunofluorescence test, but indirect hemagglutination test is most widely used. It increases at the end of the first week after the onset and reaches its peak at 3 ~ 4 weeks and gradually decreases.
Symptoms
Clinical symptoms of Mycoplasma pneumonia are severe, long-standing cough and fever over 38 degrees. Headache, malaise, fever, runny nose, and sore throat appearing at the beginning of the infestation progress gradually, causing the head to cough and cough. The diagnosis is as follows: 40% Radiologic findings are nonspecific, but they appear as interstitial pneumonia or bronchopneumonia. It may also be accompanied by extrapulmonary manifestations such as erythema eruption, polymorphic eruption, meningitis, encephalitis, cerebellar ataxia, pancreatitis, myocarditis, pericarditis and arthritis. These are explained as being caused by autoimmune reactions. Therefore, monitoring of the out-of-lung symptoms is necessary.
Diagnosis
Although there is no specific clinical and laboratory findings to aid in diagnosis at the early stage of the clinical course, pneumonia in children of school age suggests mycoplasma pneumonia. Serologic tests can be performed if the cold agglutinin test and specific antibody titer rise more than four times over 10 days to 3 weeks after infection. If the IgM antibody is confirmed by indirect fluorescence or EIA, the diagnosis can be made more sure.
Treatments
Mycoplasma is resistant to penicillin or cephalosporin due to lack of cell wall, and is susceptible to macrolide and uses clarithromycin, azithromycin, and roxithromycin. However, since there are many macrolide-resistant mycoplasma in certain countries, it is necessary to add other drugs to macrolide antibiotics. Secondary drugs include tetracycline and fluoroquinolone. Fluoroquinolone may cause degenerative changes in cartilage and joints, and tetracycline tooth staining may be controversial in children younger than 8 years of age.
Symptoms
Clinical symptoms of Mycoplasma pneumonia are severe, long-standing cough and fever over 38 degrees. Headache, malaise, fever, runny nose, and sore throat appearing at the beginning of the infestation progress gradually, causing the head to cough and cough. The diagnosis is as follows: 40% Radiologic findings are nonspecific, but they appear as interstitial pneumonia or bronchopneumonia. It may also be accompanied by extrapulmonary manifestations such as erythema eruption, polymorphic eruption, meningitis, encephalitis, cerebellar ataxia, pancreatitis, myocarditis, pericarditis and arthritis. These are explained as being caused by autoimmune reactions. Therefore, monitoring of the out-of-lung symptoms is necessary.
Diagnosis
Although there is no specific clinical and laboratory findings to aid in diagnosis at the early stage of the clinical course, pneumonia in children of school age suggests mycoplasma pneumonia. Serologic tests can be performed if the cold agglutinin test and specific antibody titer rise more than four times over 10 days to 3 weeks after infection. If the IgM antibody is confirmed by indirect fluorescence or EIA, the diagnosis can be made more sure.
Treatments
Mycoplasma is resistant to penicillin or cephalosporin due to lack of cell wall, and is susceptible to macrolide and uses clarithromycin, azithromycin, and roxithromycin. However, since there are many macrolide-resistant mycoplasma in certain countries, it is necessary to add other drugs to macrolide antibiotics. Secondary drugs include tetracycline and fluoroquinolone. Fluoroquinolone may cause degenerative changes in cartilage and joints, and tetracycline tooth staining may be controversial in children younger than 8 years of age.
