walking pneumonia


A popular term for the symptoms of atypical pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Management Tetracycline, erythromycin; a vaccine is under development

walking pneumonia

Mycoplasma pneumonia Infectious disease A popular term for the Sx of atypical pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae Clinical Usually mild; insidious onset of malaise, headache, ± fever followed by an intense, usually nonproductive cough, with scant mucopurulent or hemorrhagic sputum, accompanied by chest tenderness on inspiration; auscultation may reveal wheezes, rhonchi and occasional moist râles; clinical and radiologic improvement of WP with pleural effusions may require 2–6 wks Treatment Tetracycline, erythromycin; a vaccine is now available for pigs/hogs. See Mycoplasma pneumoniae.