Mycoplasma Pneumonia

Flashcards comparing mycoplasma and pneumococcal pneumonia.

What are the characteristics of Mycoplasma onset?

Gradual onset, attacks young adults, milder in children.

What are the characteristics of Pneumococcal onset?

Sudden and severe onset, difficulty breathing, potential blue lips.

How does Mycoplasma typically present?

Presents to GP, patient feels unwell but still mobile.

How does Pneumococcal typically present?

Presents to casualty, patient is very sick, may have blue lips.

What is Mycoplasma pneumonia often called and what does it mean?

Often called ambulant pneumonia, patient is still mobile.

What type of sputum is produced in Mycoplasma pneumonia?

Clear or mucoid, sometimes flecked with pus cells.

What type of sputum is produced in Pneumococcal pneumonia?

Purulent secretions.

What are the temperature characteristics of Pneumococcal pneumonia?

High temperatures are typical.

What are the temperature characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumonia?

Temperature may rise.

Is Pleurisy common in mycoplasma pneumonia?

Rare due to less severe inflammation.

Is consolidation common in pneumococcal pneumonia?

Common.

What is the important pattern to note on a chest x-ray with Mycoplasma pneumonia?

Diffuse interstitial inflammation.

What happens with white blood cell count in Pneumococcal pneumonia?

Greater than 15,000 white blood cells, predominance of neutrophils.

What happens with white blood cell count in Mycoplasma pneumonia?

Upper limit of normal, normal differential.

What is an improvement on doing serology with Mycoplasma pneumonia?

Respiratory PCR panels.

What is the trouble with serology when testing for Mycoplasma pneumonia?

Delayed; can take two weeks for rise in IgA antibodies.

What is the mainstay on sputum for Pneumococcal infection?

Gram stain, culture, and microscopy.

Why does mycoplasma not stain with Gram stain?

Defective cell wall with no peptidoglycan

What are mycoplasmas known as?

Smallest free living microbes.

How are mycoplasma passed between humans?

Respiratory secretions.

What is important to maintain coccal or rod shape in bacteria?

Peptidoglycan.

What kind of mucus is associated with mycoplasma?

Clear mucoid material.

Who is usually affected with mycoplasma?

Outbreaks within families, schools, and universities.

What age patients tend to pass Mycoplasma pneumonia to adults?

The coughs tend to be passed to the parents.

What kind of therapy do clinicians tend to use for Mycoplasma?

Empirical therapy

What does empirical therapy mean?

Therapy that is most likely to work for a particular clinical presentation.

What is the drug of choice to treat Mycoplasma?

Erythromycin.

What can happen with the damage of the epithelium with Mycoplasma?

Prolonged coughing fits.

How do patients with Mycoplasma feel?

They feel quite unwell

What kind of chest x-ray pattern do patients with Mycoplasma have?

Diffuse pattern on chest x-ray

Why does mycoplasma have a funny shape?

It does not have a proper cell wall with peptidoglycan

Why mycoplasma unable to grow in the environment?

Because of low GC and small genome

What kind of cough patients with Mycoplasma have?

Unproductive cough.

What helps improve the diagnostic accuracy for outbreaks of respiratory illness?

PCR panels.

What is it called when the patient is still mobile with Mycoplasma?

Ambulant pneumonia.

If a patient is having chemotherapy, they will be __.

Neutropenic

Where does infection of the linings of the lung occur around in Pneumococcal pneumonia?

Alveoli.

How long does it take to get rise in IgA antibodies?

Two weeks.

Because we've got , we could say Mycoplasma have a defective cell wall.

Sterols.

Besides Mycoplasma, which other illness is an atypical pneumonia?

Influenza.