[Medical Q&A] If a child is infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, will he or she definitely get pneumonia?

Author: Niu Chao, deputy chief physician, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University

Reviewer: Luo Jian, deputy chief physician, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a microorganism smaller than bacteria and is the culprit of mycoplasma pneumonia. After many children are infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, they mainly show symptoms of fever and cough, which causes anxiety among parents.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection can occur throughout the year, with winter being the most common in northern my country and summer and autumn being the most common in southern China. Mycoplasma pneumoniae mainly comes from infected people, and its main modes of transmission among people are droplet transmission (such as coughing and sneezing) and close contact (such as kissing).

Being infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae does not mean that pneumonia will occur. Most children have no obvious symptoms or show mild cold symptoms, such as dry cough, sneezing, headache, transient fever, etc. Most children can recover naturally without treatment. Mycoplasma pneumonia is more common in children aged 5 years and above, but children under 5 years old can also get sick. Children may show symptoms such as recurrent fever, severe cough, labored breathing, and mental fatigue. The manifestations of pneumonia in infants are often atypical, and may be manifested as frequent vomiting, choking, and spitting.