Infectious diseases >>>> Respiratory mycoplasmosis

Respiratory mycoplasmosis.

Respiratory mycoplasmosis is an acute respiratory disease of an infectious nature that affects the upper respiratory tract, lungs and causes mycoplasma pneumonia. Often this disease is called "pulmonary mycoplasmosis". The causative agent of the disease is the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae of the genus Mycoplasma. In terms of its biophysical properties, this bacterium is very similar to viruses, since, like them, it can penetrate through bacterial filters and in the form of an aerosol stay in the air for a long time at room temperature (about half an hour) and remain viable. This fact determines the possible ways of infection - air - dust, contact - household. The source of respiratory mycoplasma infection is a person who spreads the bacterium within 7-10 days from the onset of the disease.

Most often, outbreaks of respiratory mycoplasmosis occur in the cold period of time, which is due to the fact that the bacterium remains viable at a temperature of 4 C o for up to 37 hours. As a rule, respiratory mycoplasma infection spreads in collectives when people are crowded. There are cases when respiratory mycoplasmosis is combined with respiratory viral infections (adenovirus, syncytial, parainfluenza, influenza).

Penetrating into the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract, Mycoplasma pneumoniae releases superoxidants, which causes the death of the epithelium of the airways, the development of inflammation of the bronchial tissues, and the compaction of the walls of the alveoli. And the hemolysin produced by it leads to punctate hemorrhages in the lung tissue, on the skin and may be the cause of the development of hemorrhagic pleurisy or thrombosis of arterioles and venules.

The signs of respiratory mycoplasmosis are similar to the symptoms of the development of acute respiratory infections, turning into pharyngitis, laryngitis, acute bronchitis with the corresponding symptoms of the latter:

Subfebrile or normal temperature,
Chills,
Sore throat,
Headache,
Dry, excruciating cough,
Runny nose,
Dyspeptic disorders are possible ,
conjunctivitis may develop in parallel ,
The cervical and submandibular lymph nodes are enlarged,
In the lungs, wheezing, hard breathing are heard,
May occur myalgia,
If the process has spread to the lung tissue, then the temperature rises to 38-39 C, when coughing, mucopurulent sputum leaves, and the skin turns pale.

The development of mycoplasma pneumonia is confirmed by X-ray of the lungs and laboratory diagnostics of nasopharyngeal lavages, sputum, and blood.

The treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia is based on antibacterial therapy with macrolides, including the reserve antibiotics of this group, strictly under the supervision of a physician.

There is no specific prophylaxis for respiratory mycoplasmosis. The patient is usually isolated from healthy people for the duration of treatment.

Complications of mycoplasma pneumonia can "result" in diseases such as myocarditis, exudative pleurisy, encephalitis or meningoencephalitis.