A new epidemic looms on the horizon… What is “Mycoplasma”?
The outbreak of atypical pneumonia bacteria (Mycoplasma) caused a significant stir after its spread in China in November, amid concerns about a recurrence of the coronavirus crisis.
Pulmonary Mycoplasma is a bacteria that causes respiratory infections ranging from mild to severe pneumonia. It is a common cause of pneumonia in school-aged children. This disease is a type of pneumonia that leads to the filling of the lungs with fluids or pus and has various causes, including viruses, bacteria, and chemicals. Symptoms usually appear in infected individuals within 4 to 6 days after exposure.
“Mycoplasma” presents symptoms similar to influenza, but it is usually accompanied by severe cough, fever, fatigue, headache, sore throat, runny nose, and loss of appetite, as well as a rash on the trunk, back, or arms.
Pneumonia is often treated with antibiotics such as amoxicillin without conducting initial tests to determine the cause. However, these antibiotics, which treat most types of pneumonia, do not work in treating Mycoplasma infections.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, resistance to the type of antibiotics used to treat these infections may play a role in a significant increase in cases in China earlier this month.
