Walking pneumonia

Walking pneumonia

• Less severe form of pneumonia

• Fatigue

• Headache

• Cough

• Fever

• Chest pain

• Nausea and vomiting

• Sore throat

Mycoplasma pneumoniae

• Smallest free-living bacteria

• Need to be in close association with cells to gain nutrients

• Have no cell wall– lipoprotein-phospholipid cell membrane containing cholesterol

• Complex cytoskeleton

Unique Features

• Cholesterol containing cell membrane

• Use of amino acids as a fuel source

• Gliding motility

How Mycoplasma Causes Pneumonia

• Binds and invades respiratory tract

• Leaches nutrients and cholesterol from cells

• Wastes from bacteria cause cell death

• Immune system response

• Pneumonia

Colonization and pneumonia formation

• Mycoplasma colonizes respiratory tract

• Binds to ciliated epithelial cells using cytadherence and terminal adherence organelle

• Secretes hydrogen peroxide or other toxins(?) that kill cells

• Mycoplasma reaches the lungs and activates immune system cells

• Inflammation and pneumonia results

Chlamydia pneumoniae

• Obligate intracellular pathogen

• Pneumonia

• Coronary disease?

• Asthma?