MYCOPLASMA

General Objectives
- To explain the clinical importance of Mycoplasma

Specific Objectives
To explain :
- Morphology, growth, and nature
- Pathogenesis
- Clinical manifestation
- Laboratory diagnosis
- Epidemiology and Control

 Morphology, Growth, Natures

The smallest and simplest self replicating bacteria

Cell wall (-)
Basic form : coccus elongated/ filamentous form
Attachment organella (P1 adhesin) at the tip of filamentous
Binary fission very slowly replicate long incubation period
Cultivation : complex media containing serum (fatty acid, cholesterol) fried
egg shape colony

 Pathogenesis

 Pathogenesis (1)
Surface parasite

Pathogenesis (2)

attachment

-excreted H2O2 (organism related)

-local immune response (host related)

tissue damage

Host defenses
-Humoral :IgM, IgG, IgA
-Cellular mediated immunity ?

autoimune (systemic/remote)
(M.pneumonia)
-Hemolytic anemia
-Encephalitis
-Aseptic meningitis
-Arthritis

 Epidemiology
Mycoplasma pneumoniae : close contact, children 5 9 years
Ureaplasma urealticum : sexually active person
with : frequency and sex partners

Clinical Manifestation
Mycoplasmal (Atypical) Pneumoniae (M.pneumoniae)
subclinical infection/ upper respiratory tract symptoms
: remittent fever, cough, headache convalescence 4-6 weeks
X-ray : lung infiltrates on lower lobes of lungs

 Genital Infection
U.urealyticum
/ : nonspecific (nongonococcal) urethiris (NSU)
Pregnancy : chorioamnionitis perinatal morbidity, LBW
infant, puerperal febrile, abortus

M.hominis, M.genitalium
-
: tuboovarial abscess, salpingitis

Laboratory diagnosis
-

Culture : essential but not practical

Serological
- titer IgG > 4 fold
- Cold Agglutinin (M.pneumoniae)
PCR

Control
-

Vaccine (-), chemoprophylaxis (-)

Tetracycline, erythromine, quinolone (resistant penicillin and
vancomycin)
Good personal hygiene, treatment of sexual partners

Case
A young man, 28 years, visited you
because of purulent discharge out of
urethra. Microscopy of the secret showed
Gram negative diplococci inside and
outside PMN cells.
What would be the working diagnosis?
What kind of test should be done to make
definitive diagnosis?
How would you start to manage the patient?

 On the third day the patient reported that

that he still developed the purulent secrete
from urethra.
What kind of condition would be the
possibility?
What kind of tests would you order to confirm
your guess?
How would you treat the patient when your
guess is confirmed?