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Mycoplasma Pneumoniae

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Mycoplasma Pneumoniae

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Mycoplasma Pneumoniae

Mic-plasma Nude-Mona
Picmonic
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a small bacterium with a unique cell structure that causes mycoplasma pneumonia. This species lacks a peptidoglycan cell wall, and instead has a cell membrane with sterol compounds that it obtains from the host serum. Because it requires sterols for replication, it requires special growing medium called Eaton’s agar, and also has a distinctive growth pattern, forming characteristic mulberry colonies. This organism causes mycoplasma pneumonia, also known as walking pneumonia, which is an atypical pneumonia spread through respiratory droplet transmission. It is called an atypical pneumonia because there is a protracted course, lack of sputum production, and extra-pulmonary symptoms as compared to typical pneumonia. This form of pneumonia is more common in adolescents and people in close quarters like military recruits. Mycoplasma pneumonia is also characterized by the presence of IgM antibodies directed against red blood cells, leading to a cold autoimmune hemolytic anemia in some patients. Complications of this disease also include erythema multiforme, which can progress to Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Because the causative organism lacks a cell wall, it does not gram stain and is also resistant to the effects of penicillins and beta-lactam antibiotics, which have bactericidal effects by disrupting the cell wall. Therefore, antibiotics like tetracycline and erythromycin are used instead.
10 KEY FACTS
CHARACTERISTICS
No Cell Wall and No Gram Stain
Anti-sign on Graham-cracker stain on brick wall

This species lacks a peptidoglycan cell wall, and instead has a cell membrane with sterol compounds that it obtains from the host serum. Because this organism lacks a cell wall, it does not gram stain.

Cholesterol Membrane
Cholesterol burger with membrane

This species lacks a peptidoglycan cell wall, and instead has a cell membrane with sterol compounds that it obtains from the host serum.

Eaton's Agar
Eating

Because this organism requires sterols for replication, it requires a special growing medium, called Eaton's agar.

Mulberry Colonies
Mulberry

This organism replicates slowly by binary fission, and produces characteristic mulberry colonies on agar plates. Other Mycoplasma species, such as M. hominis, have a "fried-egg" appearance.

DISEASE
Atypical pneumonia
A-tipi X-ray Screen on Nude-Mona

This organism causes mycoplasma pneumonia, also known as walking pneumonia, which is an atypical pneumonia spread through respiratory droplet transmission. It is called an atypical pneumonia because there is a protracted course, lack of sputum production, and extra-pulmonary symptoms as compared to typical pneumonia.

Military Recruits
Military-outfit

This form of pneumonia is more common in adolescents and people in close quarters, like military recruits.

Cold IgM Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia
Cold-freeze-gun (IgM) Mountain-goblin with Hemolysing-RBCs from Anemone

Mycoplasma pneumonia is characterized by the presence of IgM antibodies directed against red blood cells, leading to a cold autoimmune hemolytic anemia in some patients.

Erythema Multiforme
Red-Earth with Multiform-mullet

Erythema multiforme (EM) is an acute, immune-mediated, self-limited, and sometimes recurring skin condition that is considered to be a type IV hypersensitivity reaction associated with some infections, such as HSV, Mycoplasma pneumoniae or medications. It is characterized by the appearance of distinctive target-like lesions on the skin. While Mycoplasma pneumoniae has been known to cause both EM and Steven-Johnsons syndrome (SJS), EM and SJS are to be considered as two different spectra of disease processes.

TREATMENT
Tetracycline
Tetris-cycle

Because the causative organism lacks a cell wall, it is resistant to the effects of penicillins and beta-lactam antibiotics, which have bactericidal effects by disrupting the cell wall. Instead, antibiotics like tetracycline, which inhibit bacterial growth by inhibiting attachment of aminoacyl tRNA to the 30S ribosomal subunit, are effective against this organism.

Erythromycin
Earth-throw-mice

Because the causative organism lacks a cell wall, it is resistant to the effects of penicillins and beta-lactam antibiotics, which have bactericidal effects by disrupting the cell wall. Instead, antibiotics like erythromycin, which bind to the 50S subunit, are effective against this organism.

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