RT Book, Section A1 Ryan, Kenneth J. SR Print(0) ID 1148676267 T1 Mycoplasma T2 Sherris Medical Microbiology, 7e YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781259859809 LK accessbiomedicalscience.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1148676267 RD 2024/10/10 AB OverviewMycoplasma are tiny bacteria that lack a cell wall. Their outer cell membrane contains sterols that they obtain from the tissues or special media in which they grow. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is second only to the pneumococcus as a cause of community-acquired pneumonia. However, M pneumoniae has a predilection for younger persons and spreads person-to-person in families or closed groups, whereas the elderly are at greatest risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. Mycoplasmal infection presents as tracheobronchitis or pneumonia with headache and a persistent nonproductive cough, often worse at night. Chest radiographs usually show unilateral patchy infiltrates without lobar consolidation, hence the term “atypical” or “walking” pneumonia. The course is almost always benign, but improvement is accelerated by treatment with doxycycline or azithromycin. In the past, diagnosis was confirmed if at all by serology or rarely by culture. Multiplex PCR platforms for respiratory pathogens are being used more frequently are changing the approach to diagnosis.