Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a microorganism that is somewhere between bacteria and viruses in size. Pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae is more common in children 5 years of age and older, but it can occur in children younger than 5 years of age. Mycoplasma pneumoniae occurs in periodic epidemics every 3-5 years, with a high incidence in autumn and winter every year.
How is Mycoplasma pneumoniae transmitted?
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets and can carry the pathogen in secretions from coughing, sneezing, and runny nose. Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection patients and asymptomatic infections are the main sources of infection. The disease has an incubation period of 1 to 3 weeks and is contagious from the incubation period until several weeks after symptom remission.
What are the symptoms of mycoplasma infection?
Main clinical manifestations: fever, cough (may be accompanied by headache, runny nose, sore throat, earache, etc.), fever is mainly moderate to high fever, and persistent high fever indicates severe disease. The cough is more violent, and some children have wheezing, which is more common in infants and young children. Early pulmonary signs may be subtle, and decreased breath sounds and dry and wet rales may occur as the disease progresses.
Mild: may be absent or present only with an upper respiratory tract infection.
Severe: It can cause pneumonia, lung consolidation, pleural effusion, necrotizing pneumonia, etc.
How do I get tested for Mycoplasma pneumoniae?
1. Mycoplasma culture: It is the "gold standard" for diagnosing mycoplasma infection, but it requires special conditions and grows slowly, making it difficult to use for clinical diagnosis.
2. Mycoplasma nucleic acid detection: high sensitivity and specificity, suitable for early diagnosis of mycoplasma pneumonia.
3. Mycoplasma antibody determination: Mycoplasma-IgM antibody generally appears 4-5 days after infection, which can be used as a diagnostic indicator for early infection.
What happens after Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection***
Mycoplasma does not belong to bacteria or viruses, it is a prokaryotic cell-type microorganism with no cell wall structure, so antibacterial drugs acting on the cell wall, such as penicillins, cephalosporin antibacterials, etc., cannot kill it.
Macrolide antibacterial drugs such as azithromycin, erythromycin, roxithromycin, etc. are the first choice.
Because some antibiotics can affect bone development (eg, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin) or tooth enamel development (eg, doxycycline, minocycline), children should choose the smallest antibiotic under the guidance of a pediatrician. Azithromycin and clarithromycin are the drugs of choice for children.
Patients with mycoplasma pneumonia should not use drugs without authorization, and must be given a suitable plan after weighing the pros and cons under the guidance of a professional doctor!
For Mycoplasma pneumoniae, prevention is the truth.
1) Pay attention to indoor ventilation during the epidemic high incidence season, and ventilate for no less than 30 minutes each time to keep the air fresh.
2) Try to avoid crowded and poorly ventilated public places, and wear a mask when you go.
3) When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue and dispose of the used tissue in the trash can with a lid.
4) Pay attention to hand hygiene, use soap and hand sanitizer to wash your hands under running water. If running water is not available, wipe down and disinfect your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
5) Insist on physical exercise, ensure adequate sleep, reasonable diet, ensure adequate nutrition, and improve the body's immunity and resistance.
6) Schools, kindergartens and other places should pay attention to ventilation and disinfection, do a good job of daily cleaning, strengthen health monitoring, and avoid clustering.