Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Nov 28;5(11):000977.
doi: 10.12890/2018_000977. eCollection 2018.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae-associated Mucositis: A Recently Described Entity

Inês Zão  1 , Fani Ribeiro  1 , Valter Rocha  2 , Pedro Neto  1 , Carla Matias  1 , Gorete Jesus  1
Affiliations

Mycoplasma pneumoniae-associated Mucositis: A Recently Described Entity

Inês Zão et al. Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. .

Abstract

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is a common cause of respiratory infections and can be associated with extrapulmonary complications. MP mucositis has recently been described as a distinct endemic clinical entity called Mycoplasma pneumoniae-induced rash and mucositis (MIRM). The authors present the case of a 46-year-old man with atypical pneumonia associated with exuberant mucositis, conjunctival hyperaemia and positive serological assays for MP IgM. The patient was treated with azithromycin and systemic corticosteroid therapy. Supportive care including pain management, intravenous hydration and mucosal care was also given. There was complete resolution of the pneumonia and mucositis. The presence of atypical pneumonia with mucosal involvement without cutaneous lesions and a favourable clinical evolution led to the diagnosis of MIRM.

Learning points: Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection can be associated with mucocutaneous lesions. A new entity called Mycoplasma pneumoniae-induced rash and mucositis (MIRM) has been recently described. The mucocutaneous involvement associated with MIRM is predominantly mucositis with scarce or absent cutaneous expression.The clinical presentation, pathophysiology and disease outcomes of MIRM distinguish it from Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis and erythema multiform.MIRM has an overall favourable prognosis as the majority of patients recover without sequalae and recurrence is rare.

Keywords: Mycoplasma pneumoniae; atypical pneumonia; conjunctival hyperaemia; mucositis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interests: The Authors declare that there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Oral mucositis with confluent ulcers on the oropharynx and hypopharynx
Figure 2
Figure 2
Conjunctival hyperaemia
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Canavan TN, Mathes EF, Frieden I, Shinkai K. Mycoplasma pneumoniae-induced rash and mucositis as a syndrome distinct from Stevens-Johnson syndrome and erythema multiforme: a systematic review. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2015;72:239–245. - PubMed
    1. Santos RP, Silva M, Vieira AP, Brito C. Mycoplasma pneumoniae-induced rash and mucositis: a recently described entity. BMJ Case Rep. 2017 doi: 10.1136/bcr-2017-220768. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Martinez-Pérez M, Imbernón-Moya A, Lobato-Berezo A, Churruca-Grijelmo M. Mycoplasma pneumoniae-induced mucocutaneous rash: a new syndrome distinct from erythema multiforme? Report of a new case and review of the literature. Actas Dermosifiliogr. 2016;107:e47–e51. - PubMed
    1. Vujic I, Shroff A, Grzelka M, Posch C, Monshi B, Sanlorenzo M, et al. Mycoplasma pneumoniae-associated mucositis–case report and systematic review of literature. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2015;29:595–598. - PubMed
    1. Meyer Sauteur PM, Goetschel P, Lautenschlager S. Mycoplasma pneumoniae and mucositis–part of Stevens Johnson syndrome spectrum. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2012;10:740–746. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources