Non Gram Staining

Question 1

Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Clinical case: a young woman at an army base thinks she has a cold and goes to her doctor. She complains of malaise, chills, sore throat, and dry cough. Chest X-ray shows interstitial filtrate more severe than her symptoms suggest. Laboratory test indicates that the woman’s serum was capable of agglutinating erythrocytes when incubated at 4 degrees Celsius. The doctor prescribes erythromycin.

Answer 1

Structure: no cell wall. Sterol in lipid belayer. Pleomorphic shape.
Reservoir: respiratory epithelium; not normal flora
Transmission: respiratory droplets
At risk: teenagers and young adults (military recruits and prisoners)
Diseases: walking pneumonia –> sore throat, non-productive cough, malaise, diffuse interstitial infiltrate on X-ray (looks worse than symptoms)
Diagnosis: no gram stain because no cell wall, growth on Eatons agar
Treatment: tetracycline or erythromycin; resistant to penicillin and cephalosporin (beta lactam drugs)