Mycoplasma pneumoniae causes a respiratory infection, it is a microscopic bacteria.
This bacterium mostly affects the individuals who are young adults and older children.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is mostly frequent in late summers or during the fall, but it is common throughout the year.
How do Mycoplasma pneumoniae spreads?
The basic mode of transport of this bacterium is through the droplet infection, like cough, sneeze or nose contact of infected individuals. Any person that is infected with this virus turns contagious thus it is advisable to keep away from that person.
Symptoms of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection:
These are just like the other pneumonial infections of cough, cold, shivering and sore throat. Sometimes the person also gets severe headache and even bronchitis. This type of pneumonia rarely requires hospitalization as it is a mild form. The symptoms of this infection may last from a few days to a month.
Nearly after 6 to 32 days of exposure to the pathogen the symptoms begin to show, they are generally slow in developing and develop over a period of 2 to 4 days.
How is the Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection diagnosed?
This type of infection is particularly diagnosed according to the symptoms it shows. There are special tests such as the laboratory generated tests and the non specific blood tests that are done to diagnose Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections.
There is one feature of this infection, when a person with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection gets well he develops immunity for this infection. This immunity is developed in every patient but it is not life long. The duration for this immunity is unknown.
Treatment and Prevention of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection:
For Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections doctors mainly refer to antibiotics and prefer giving the same to the patient. Antibiotics like the tetracycline and erythromycin are effective treatment of this infection. This infection is most of the times mild so only treatment from home would be sufficient enough. For prevention there are no such preventive vaccines made as such so no such preventive vaccine is available. As a preventive measure people are advised to cover their face while sneezing and coughing.