Mycoplasma, what is it and why is everyone talking about it?

What is Pneumonia? 

You may have heard these terms thrown around over the past few months on parenting blogs, the news, and even coming from schools. “Walking pneumonia” is in fact having a surge right now, and it is definitely something we should all have on our radar. It is not however something to lose sleep over, or worry about the second you or your child get the sniffles. Here are some fast facts, and a really easy way to think about pneumonia, and when you need to act on it. 

Understanding Pneumonia 

Pneumonia is just a medical term for any infection or inflammation in the lung that causes pus or fluid build up. You’ve probably heard the term “covid pneumonia” which means that the virus has caused this problem in your lungs, or maybe an elderly relative was hospitalized with a bacterial pneumonia requiring antibiotics. Pneumonia is just a descriptive term, NOT something you can technically catch from someone else. What you can catch, is the virus or bacteria (or even fungus) that may eventually cause you to have a pneumonia if your body doesn’t clear up the infection in enough time. 

When to Worry About Pneumonia 

Many viruses, from Covid to the common cold viruses like rhinovirus cause us coughing, phlegm build up, fever and leave us generally feeling terrible for sometimes over a week. These infections can predispose some people to bacteria moving in and causing that fluid or pus buildup in the lungs we would call pneumonia. Its time to worry about this when someone has had persistent fevers for over a week, seemed to get better and then got worse with a fever showing up on day 7 for example, or a change in sputum production to a dark color, sometimes brownish that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. 

Diagnosing Pneumonia 

Pneumonia in your lungs can show up on a chest X-ray, but it takes time. It IS entirely possible you have pneumonia developing and you have a normal chest X-ray, but keep in mind without any symptoms—your doctor isn’t going to treat you or diagnose you with pneumonia just because you’re coughing. We talk about this a lot at apios, but avoiding unnecessary antibiotics is JUST as important as prescribing them when needed. 

What is Mycoplasma? 

Now on to mycoplasma: this IS a bacteria that is contagious and rears its ugly head every handful of years in a “spike” in infections like we are in now. It is going to cause cold symptoms just like a cold virus, and MOST cases actually go away on their own! In some people, persistent symptoms are cause for treatment with antibiotics. Because of wild overuse of antibiotics, this bacteria is actually now sometimes resistant to drugs like azithromycin or a “z pack”, so if you need to be treated your doctor may suggest something more likely to be effective like doxycycline. In many cases, if you’re really sick  or have certain signs on a chest X-ray you will get two antibiotics, to cover for mycoplasma, and other common pneumonia causing bacteria. Its also important to mention this is not something most offices can test for with a swab like with Covid-19. Its a diagnosis based on the prevalence in our communities, and your physician’s clinical impression of your symptoms which inform our choice of antibiotics when they’re needed. 

Mycoplasma: The “Walking Pneumonia” 

Mycoplasma infections are sometimes called “walking pneumonia” which is not really a medical term. It just refers to the fact that many patients do not feel all that bad, and get better on their own—they can “walk around” and sometimes don’t even realize they have it. All in all, because of all these things we’ve mentioned here its really not something to be too stressed about. As with any infection, we want to make sure we’re not spreading it around-and considering our immunocompromised neighbors, pregnant women, and the elderly. Hand washing and avoiding those who are showing symptoms are still the best methods of protecting yourself and others. 

When to Seek Medical Attention 

If you’ve had cough cold symptoms for more than a week, got a fever (a temperature of 100.4 or higher) when you thought you should start feeling better, or just cant seem to kick your coughing, talk with your Apios provider. We can help you understand your symptoms, and when to keep an eye on them, and when it might be time to think about more than over the counter medication. 

As always, our providers are on stand-by to answer any of your medical questions.