What is mycoplasma infection and how does it manifest?
Andrey Pozdnyakov: This is a respiratory disease caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. This is a type of respiratory infection caused by not entirely typical microflora. We are still seeing an outbreak of these types of respiratory mycoplasma infections.
Mycoplasma is an intracellular parasite. There are other pathogens of the same genus, for example, sexually transmitted mycoplasmas (Mycoplasma hominis and Mycoplasma genitalium). As for mycoplasma pneumonia, it is a respiratory pathogen that is transmitted by airborne droplets and causes respiratory diseases of varying severity, up to pneumonia.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is less infectious than the flu, covid, measles or chickenpox. To become infected, close and prolonged contact with a sick person is necessary, so this infection most often occurs in organized groups (kindergartens, schools, barracks, open-air office premises), or you can become infected in places where people They are crowded in closed, closed spaces, poorly ventilated areas (airplanes, airports, train stations, etc.).
Olga Gladchenko: Pneumonia (or, as people say, pneumonia) is an acute inflammatory disease of lung tissue caused by various infectious agents: viruses, bacteria and protozoa. Mycoplasma is a tiny microorganism that does not have a rigid cell wall and parasitizes intracellularly. More than 14 types of mycoplasmas are known; In humans they can cause diseases not only of the respiratory system, but also of the genitourinary system and joints.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is transmitted by airborne droplets from sick and even healthy (asymptomatic) carriers through coughing, sneezing, or prolonged close contact. The pathogen penetrates the respiratory tract and affects the trachea, bronchi and lung tissue. Children, young people under 35 years of age and patients over 60 years of age are the most affected.
The incubation period (from infection to the appearance of the first symptoms) is on average 1 to 2 weeks, sometimes up to four.
How does the disease progress? Is it different from a common respiratory infection caused by viruses?
Andrey Pozdnyakov: The onset of the disease can vary in terms of symptoms. There may be a runny nose and sore throat, but the temperature rarely rises (unlike the flu).
The main characteristic symptom of mycoplasma infection is frequent dry cough. It almost never disappears without the prescription of antimicrobial therapy and antibiotics of strictly defined groups.
Without antimicrobial therapy, the respiratory infection itself, accompanied by cough, can last for months. In addition, if, however, a respiratory infection developed before pneumonia, that is, at the level of the bronchi and trachea, clinically, except for cough, a person may not present any symptoms. That is, the person appears to be healthy from the point of view of objective symptoms, with the exception of the cough. His tests are normal, normal blood tests without abnormalities, biochemistry, but at the same time he has a cough, and this cough does not go away.
Olga Gladchenko: The cough is usually obsessive, dry and with a small amount of sputum. The severity of the symptoms can vary from mild (like a mild ARVI) to severe: in some patients the temperature rises above 38 degrees and the cough is complicated by difficulty breathing.
Elizaveta Temnik: In addition to cough, there is a sore throat and pharyngeal congestion (a phenomenon of nasopharyngitis, pharyngitis). Children get rashes.
Is it true that a doctor can miss mycoplasma pneumonia because you can’t hear it?
Andrey Pozdnyakov: Pneumonia as a manifestation of mycoplasma infection is possible and can manifest itself as a persistent cough, fever, but in the lungs, in fact, nothing can be heard during auscultation (that is, when listening with a stethoscope) . This is the so-called “silent pneumonia.” Or the image is completely blurry, unlike other respiratory infections.
In the image, said pneumonia will be visible and will have a quite characteristic radiological image, different from that of common bacterial pneumonia. But hearing mycoplasma pneumonia in the ear is very problematic.
Olga Gladchenko: It is called atypical pneumonia because often the presence of lung damage becomes evident only after an X-ray or MSCT of the chest organs. When listening to the lungs, in half of cases typical signs of pneumonia may not be detected.
How to make a diagnosis?
Andrey Pozdnyakov: Doing this is quite difficult. If the illness lasts up to two weeks, a PCR test, a sputum test if coughing, or a nasopharyngeal swab can be performed.
By the way, another pathogen that also causes respiratory infections is chlamydia. Or as it is called chlamydophilia pneumonia. This is also a very similar pathogen, although of a completely different type, which at the same time gives the same clinical picture and is also treated with antibiotics. Chlamydophilia pneumonia can also be diagnosed by the PCR method, if the timing is relatively early. But if the cough continues for a month or more, then it is necessary to test for the presence of antibodies in the blood (IgM, IgG against Mycoplasma pneumoniae).
Elizaveta Temnik: A nonspecific prognostic marker of mycoplasma infection is also an increase in eosinophil cationic protein in the blood.
How to deal with?
Andrey Pozdnyakov: As for treatment, any symptomatic “antitussive” therapy that the patient performs at his own discretion will not help. To treat mycoplasma infection, you need a doctor who will first conduct an examination and then select a medication based on it. For effective therapy, it is important to choose the right antibiotic, which, moreover, must be taken strictly in a cycle (without shortening the treatment time), and only a doctor can prescribe it. You should not self-medicate.
Olga Gladchenko: For the treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia, macrolides, fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines are used for a course of up to 14 days. Symptomatic treatment (bronchodilators, antitussives, mucolytics) is also prescribed; The doctor prescribes specific therapy as indicated.
Physiotherapy, breathing exercises and physiotherapy are possible and necessary when the body temperature normalizes. They improve sputum discharge, prevent congestion and accelerate recovery.
What home remedies are there to alleviate the condition and get better faster?
Andrey Pozdnyakov: Humidifying the air will help, since dry air in case of respiratory infection is not good for the patient. It is also better if the air temperature in the room is 20-22°, that is, a little colder than usual for us.
Olga Gladchenko: At home, after normalizing the body temperature, to relieve cough, you can use rubbing ointments, mustard plasters and chest massages; All this has a distracting effect. The use of cupping can cause burns and is not recommended. But fresh air is good, walking is recommended (if the weather is good), starting from 30 minutes.
Elizaveta Temnik: Also, do not forget to more often ventilate the room where the patient is, so that there is no stagnant air, this is especially important during the heating season. In addition, it is necessary to drink a lot of fluids, because at elevated temperatures a person loses fluid.
Continuation
Olga Gladchenko: The most common cause of acute pneumonia is pneumococcus. Clinically, pneumococcal pneumonia most often presents violently, with high fever, severe symptoms of poisoning (weakness, lethargy, headache, dizziness), cough and respiratory failure. By listening to the lungs above the site of inflammation, the doctor may hear specific wheezing. An x-ray of the lungs shows a outlined focus of inflammation. These signs help to suspect pneumococcal pneumonia, but the final diagnosis is based on laboratory diagnostics.
In any case, the extent of the examination and treatment must be determined by the doctor to avoid complications.
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