Mycoplasma and ureoplasma

Other extrapulmonary complications

• Cardiac:arrythmias,CCF,myocarditis,pericarditis
• CNS:meningoencephalitis
• Musculoskeletal:polyarthralgia
• Skin rash:mild erythmatous maculopapular

Differences

• Typical pneumonia

• Show characteristic features of fever,pleuritic pain and rust coloured sputum
• Severe
• Elderly
• Strep pneumoniae
• Recovered on routine cultures

• Atypical pneumonia

• Do not show typical features
• Paucity of respiratory signs
• Mild
• High incidence in young adults
• M pneumoniae,C pneumoniae,Legionella
• Not recovered on routine cultures
• Fail to respond to standard penicillin or cephalosporin therapy

GENITAL INFECTIONS

• M hominis
• Sexual contact
• Non gonococcal urethritis
• Males: Urethritis,proctitis,balanoprosthitis
• Females: Acute salpingitis,PID,cervicitis,vaginitis
• Complications:infertility,abortion
• postpartum fever,chorioamnionitis,LBW infants.

Mycoplasma as cell culture contaminants

• Tend to contaminate continuous cell cultures in labs
• Source:worker,animal sera,trypsin
• Contamination interferes with the growth of viruses and produces misleading results
• Mycoplasma can be mistaken for viruses in cell cultures
• Remedy:change of cell lines.

Lab Diagnosis

• Specimens:throat swab,respiratory secretions,blood,body fluids,genital speciemens
• Dacron or calcium alginate swabs used,cotton swabs avoided
• Extremely sensitive to drying so transported immediately
• Transport media:PPLO broth-glucose,phenol red
• : trypticase soy broth
• Methods:1-isolation by culture
• 2-serology
• 3-Molecular methods
• 4-non specific tests