Mycoplasma Diagnosis

Mycoplasma is a bacteria that does not have a cell wall, which means that the bacteria is not affected by some courses of antibiotics, such as penicillin. The bacteria is normally involved with respiratory illnesses that cause inflammation of the lungs, such as walking pneumonia or atypical pneumonia. A mycoplasma diagnosis is important in order to determine the right course of treatment and to prevent its spread.

Statistics

• Based on reports provided by the CDC, there are approximately 2 million cases of pneumonia annually, with 100,000 hospitalizations in the United States alone. Many people do not know that they have pneumonia because they believe it is just a common cold.

Basics

• In order to avoid infection, wash your hands regularly, avoid crowds during flu seasons and avoid smoking.

  Common symptoms of a mycoplasma infection are fever, sore throat, headaches, fatigue, and coughing or bronchitis. In many cases, the mycoplasma infection causes walking pneumonia, where the patient has mild symptoms. Some symptoms may continue for more than a month.

  If you have a cough for more than 10 days, it should not be left untreated and it is important to seek medical attention. A mycoplasma infection can worsen if medical treatment is not provided.

Diagnosis

• Because mycoplasma infection can be a sign of other medical conditions and even the cause, a physician will normally begin with a differential diagnosis, to rule out other possibilities.

  If mycoplasma is suspected, a physician will conduct a physical exam and chest x-rays to determine what type of respiratory infection is affecting the body. A physician will look for signs of pneumonia, bronchitis or another respiratory infection. The drawback to an x-ray is that it does not always provide the information necessary to discriminate between bronchitis and other infections.

  A high resolution CT scan provides more resolution than an x-ray, but is generally several hundred dollars more expensive than chest x-rays. It is normally not necessary, but in some cases, can be a better option for the diagnosis of mycoplasma infection.

  Further tests may be ordered depending on how severe the infection is and may include a complete blood count, blood cultures, antibody tests, and bronchoscopy. Sputum cultures or a throat culture may be done to check for the mycoplasma bacteria. If a diagnosis cannot be made through other methods, an open lung biopsy may be done to test what is in the lungs and determine the cause.

Treatment

• After a positive mycoplasma test, it is important to follow through on a treatment plan. Antibiotics are often prescribed and home rest will be recommended, including drinking fluids to remain hydrated so the body can fight off the infection. The antibiotics that are normally provided are Ertyromycin, Azithromycin, and Zithromax, as these help eliminate bacteria growth. Other antibiotics can reduce the growth of the bacteria. A physician will often recommend taking additional medication to reduce fever and other symptoms.

  In some cases, hospitalization may be necessary to monitor the body's reaction to medication.

Considerations

• For some patients, a mycoplasma diagnosis may be an indicator of another medical condition, such as lung cancer, sinusitis, emphysema, asthma, cystic fibrosis or other medical conditions that often involve the respiratory tract. Some chronic respiratory problems are not diagnosed properly because a misdiagnosis of mycoplasma infection has been given.