Mycoplasma pneumoniae: How It Spreads and Who Is at Risk

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a bacterium that causes respiratory tract infections. It damages the lining of the respiratory tract, including the throat, windpipe and lungs.

How it spreads

When an infected person coughs or sneezes, they release small respiratory droplets containing the bacteria, and other people can be infected by breathing them in. People can catch M. pneumoniae more than once.

Prevention

There is no vaccine, and health care providers generally do not prescribe antibiotics after an exposure to prevent infection. But people can protect themselves and others:

• Wash your hands often, especially after coughing or sneezing. This is the best way to avoid getting or spreading the infection.
• Cover coughs and sneezes and keep hands clean to stop the spread of respiratory germs.

Who is more likely to be infected

• Children. People of any age can get sick, but the infection most often affects children, both school-age and younger.
• People in long, close contact with someone sick, especially those who live together. Most people who spend only a short time with a sick person are not infected. During outbreaks in schools, for example, the family members of sick children are the people in the community most likely to be affected.
• People who live or work in crowded settings, where outbreaks most often occur:
• • college residence halls;
  • detention and correctional facilities;
  • hospitals;
  • long-term care settings;
  • military training facilities;
  • schools.

Who is at risk of serious infection

• people recovering from a respiratory illness;
• people with lung conditions such as asthma or reactive airway disease;
• people with weakened immune systems.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection: Causes and How It Spreads." https://www.cdc.gov/mycoplasma/causes/index.html
• CDC, about Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection: https://www.cdc.gov/mycoplasma/about/index.html; preventing respiratory illnesses: https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/prevention/index.html