Isolation and rest for mycoplasma infection: the key to self-healing?

Symptoms and prevention methods of mycoplasma infection

Mycoplasma infection is a common disease, but many people know little about it. Let's take a deeper look at this issue. Mycoplasma infection is an acute lung inflammation caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, also known as atypical pneumonia in the past. This disease is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets. The onset is not seasonal, but it may be more common in autumn. The incubation period is 2-3 weeks.

What are the clinical manifestations of mycoplasma infection?

Mycoplasma infection is usually a subacute disease, and the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, such as cough, sputum, sore throat, and low fever, will appear at the beginning. Moderate fever may then occur, but the body temperature generally does not exceed 38.9 degrees. In some cases, the infection will develop into pneumonia, and the patient may experience severe coughing and cough up a little white sticky sputum or bloody sputum. Some people may develop pharyngitis, bronchitis, and bullous tympanitis, which may induce or aggravate asthma. Lung examinations of mild patients are usually normal, or there are only a few moist rales. In 5-20% of cases, a small amount of pleural effusion or pleural chest pain may occur. However, these symptoms are only part of mycoplasma infection. A very small number of patients may experience extrapulmonary manifestations such as gastroenteritis, hemolytic anemia, myocarditis, pericarditis, and hepatitis.

What does a weakly positive Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibody mean?

Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibodies are divided into IgM and IgG. IgM is an antibody produced during acute infection and generally appears within 2-3 weeks after infection. The incubation period of Mycoplasma pneumoniae is also 2-3 weeks, so when symptoms appear, mycoplasma antibodies IgM are usually positive. However, clinically, IgM may be negative, but this does not rule out the possibility of mycoplasma infection. IgG is an antibody produced later, but it lasts longer, usually for 3-6 months.

A weak positive Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibody usually indicates the presence of Mycoplasma infection. If accompanied by typical symptoms such as fever, cough, sputum, etc., treatment is usually necessary. However, it is also possible that the infection was in the past and is currently in the recovery period, or it is an asymptomatic infection, in which case no treatment is required.

How should mycoplasma infection be treated?

Mycoplasma infection is usually a self-limiting disease that heals on its own and is not life-threatening in most cases. However, the severity of symptoms and course of the disease may vary depending on the severity of the disease and whether there are complications.

General treatment: Rest and respiratory isolation are important. In addition, ensuring adequate hydration and nutrition is also critical.

Symptomatic treatment: For symptoms such as cough and sputum, you can choose to use cough and expectorant drugs, or nebulizer inhalation treatment. Antipyretics can also be used to deal with fever symptoms.

Anti-infective treatment: For adult patients, doctors may recommend anti-infective treatment. These treatments generally significantly shorten the duration of illness and reduce the number of pathogens in cough and sputum, thereby reducing the risk of transmission. Anti-infective drug choices usually include macrolide, tetracycline or quinolone antibiotics, which can be taken orally or intravenously.

Note: Azithromycin is the first choice for children with mycoplasma pneumonia, because tetracyclines may affect tooth and bone development, and quinolones may affect cartilage development. These two types of drugs are usually not used in minors.

Please remember that if you have mycoplasma pneumonia, please seek medical advice and treatment from a specialist as soon as possible. After recovery, you should improve your immunity through appropriate exercise to reduce the risk of infection and transmission within the family. Health comes first, and timely treatment is the key.