Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Mycoplasmal pneumonia
Introduction
For the WikiPatient page for this topic, click here
Causes
Causes
- Legionella pneumophila: Causes a severe form of pneumonia with a relatively high mortality rate, known as legionellosis or Legionnaires’ disease..
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae: Usually occurs in younger age groups and may be associated with neurological and systemic (e.g. rashes) symptoms.
- Chlamydophila pneumoniae: Mild form of pneumonia with relatively mild symptoms.
- The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was also considered a kind of atypical pneumonia and is still called so in the Chinese mainland.
Symptoms
Symptoms
- Symptoms include pyrexia, shortness of breath, laboured breathing, cough, arthralgia (joint pain), malaise, loss of appetite, confusion, rash, and diarrhea.
Treatment
Treatment
- Treatment is with oral antibiotics, mainly with those which interfere with protein synthesis e.g. erythromycin, and diagnosis is confirmed by blood cultures and sputum samples.
Azithromycin can treat:
References
References
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Template:Pagename is a term used to describe a disease caused by one or a combination of the following organisms: