Persistent cough caused by mycoplasma bacteria

The article was professionally consulted with Master, Doctor Nguyen Huy Nhat - Respiratory Doctor - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

Mycoplasma bacteria are strains of bacteria that usually reside in the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat, and genital tract in both men and women. When it increases in number, it often causes bacterial infections, most commonly Mycoplasma pneumonia.
Persistent cough caused by mycoplasma bacteria is a disease that affects all ages but is most common in children. The most common symptom of the disease is a persistent cough. Although mycoplasma infection is quite common, if not treated properly, it will lead to complications as the pneumonia becomes more severe and can spread to the community.

Mycoplasma is a bacterial strain that was first discovered in 1898 in cows with pneumonia. They are very small in size, about 0.15-0.3 micrometers and cannot be observed under a conventional microscope. They frequently reside in the oral mucosa, pharynx and genital tract. When there is a favorable condition that causes the number of Mycoplasma bacteria to multiply, they will cause disease.
Currently there are about 17 species of Mycoplasma capable of causing disease in humans, but of which 4 are responsible for the majority of common bacterial infections.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is the agent that receives the greatest attention because its rate of community-acquired pneumonia accounts for 10-30%. Mycoplasma pneumoniae causes upper respiratory tract infections and atypical pneumonia. The disease can occur at any age but is more common in children. Pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection often breaks out into epidemics within schools, dormitories, offices... at the time of transition from late summer to autumn.

When Mycoplasma pneumoniae enters the body, the incubation period is about 2 to 3 weeks. After this time, the disease will start and experience the following symptoms:
At the onset of the disease, the patient mainly feels headache, runny nose, wheezing, sore throat, body fatigue with fever, .... These atypical symptoms easily confuse patients with the common cold. For adults, the fever is usually above 39 degrees Celsius, accompanied by a cold body, headache and a lot of cough. The patient may have a dry cough or cough with sputum, the sputum is white. In children, cough and fever are the first symptoms of the disease. Fever in children is usually not too high, mainly below 39 degrees Celsius. The most prominent symptom is a continuous and prolonged cough. Children often have a dry cough at first, then change to a productive cough. This cough can last up to 3-4 weeks, this is also the reason why parents often send children to the hospital for treatment. Accompanied by cough and fever, children often have a runny nose, fussiness, loss of appetite, diarrhea, ...

Pneumonia caused by infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria is transmitted from person to person through the respiratory tract. When an infected person sneezes, the cough will spit out respiratory secretions containing disease-causing bacteria. If you accidentally inhale it, you will be infected. Because the transmission mechanism is quite simple, infection with this pneumonia-causing bacteria is easy to spread in small communities such as families, offices, schools,...
The severity of the disease depends on your health. The body's resistance, people with weak immune system have a higher rate of Mycoplasma infection than people with healthy immune system
Factors such as cigarette smoke, polluted dusty environment...but not directly cause Mycoplasma infection for the patient, but these are the factors that make the cough symptoms last and go away. Therefore, people with pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma infection should ensure a clean living environment, away from pollution.
Should proactively prevent disease by strengthening the body's resistance at the time of season change or when there are signs of an outbreak where you live. Limit contact with infected people, keep the living environment clean, avoid dust and pollution.