Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Infections

The class Mollicutes includes organisms in the genera Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma. They are prokaryotes that lack a cell wall, and are among the smallest known living organisms in both cellular dimensions and genome sizes. At least 17 different species inhabit the mucosae of the respiratory and urogenital tracts of humans, several of which are pathogenic in a variety of clinical illnesses. Their fastidious nature and often slow growth in vitro have hampered understanding of their roles as agents of human disease. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an important cause of community acquired respiratory infections that occur endemically and epidemically worldwide in persons of all ages and ranges in severity from mild to life-threatening. Molecular-based laboratory techniques have resulted in increased understanding of the pathogenesis and epidemiology M. pneumoniae infections as well as improved means for laboratory detection. Resistance of M. pneumoniae to macrolide antimicrobials has emerged worldwide over the past several years, complicating treatment strategies. This review contains 2 figures, 1 table and 58 references Key Words: Antimicrobial Resistance, Ciliated respiratory epithelium, Community Acquired Pneumonia, Cytadherence, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Reinfections