Mycoplasma pneumoniae: usual suspect and unsecured diagnosis in the acute setting.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the most common known bacterial pathogens of the respiratory tract, especially in patients between 5 and 30 years of age. It may be encountered at a relatively high rate in the non-life-threatened fraction of Emergency Department (ED) patients presenting with upper respiratory symptoms or cough. Yet its hallmarks are very non-specific, including a great variety of presentations from mild pharyngitis to potentially life-threatening complications such as the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Here, we describe a typical case of pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae in a young adult with mild pharyngitis as the leading symptom. Disease presentation, complications, diagnostic means, therapeutic options, and suspicious clinical settings are discussed to provide a review on the clinical aspects of the disease that are important in the ED setting.
Braun
Gerald S
GS
Department of Medicine, Medical Policlinic, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.
Wagner
Katrin S
KS
Huttner
Benedikt D
BD
Schmid
Holger
H
D000328:Adult; D003371:Cough / Q000209:etiology; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000209:etiology; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy