Mycoplasma Flashcards
What are the different species and where do they affect?
- Respiratory tract: M.pneumoniae
- Urogenital: M.genitalium, M.hominis
- Immunocompromised: M.hominis
How to classify?
Smallest free living organisms with little/no peptidoglycan
Can they grow on cell free media?
Slowly or very very slowly (often missed by routine workflow, need extra time/care!)
What does M.pneumoniae cause?
- Respiratory tract infections (common in children and teenagers, upper and lower respiratory symptoms)
- Walking pneumoniae (mild enough to remain in community care, can be serious/severe, cause of atypical peneumonia)
- Paroxysmal cough in children (may be confused with whooping cough!)
What causes atypical pneumonia?
M.pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Legionella penumophila
What are the complications of M.pneumoniae?
- Erythema multiforme (target-liked skin lesions with predominant acrofacial localizations, rarely Stevens-Johnson syndrome but important complication)
- Joint pains
- Encephalitis/meningitis
- Haemolytic anemia
- Myocarditis/pericarditis
- Severe forms of disease in immunocompromised/sickle cell disease
How to diagnose M.pneumoniae?
NAT-PCR (not done on regular basis, best in acute stage)
-Tests not usually done, use empirical therapy as most cases in community
- No culture as it is too difficult and not done
- Serology immunoassay (IgM + IgG acute and convalescent sera good if done properly, IgM ok in children but not adults)
How to treat M.pneumoniae?
- Erythromycin or other macrolides
- Tetracyclines
- Fluoroquinolone
What diseases does M.genitalium cause?
Non-gonococcal urethritis, bacterial vaginosis, pelvic inflammatory disease
What are the clinical presentations of M.hominis?
- UTI (acute pyelonephritis), renal stones
- Vaginosis, Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Post-abortion/post-partum fever, premature neonatal meningitis, neonatal RTI
- Post transplant infection (sternal wound infection, septicemia)
