Chlamydia pneumoniae is a type of bacteria that can cause respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia. C. pneumoniae is one cause of community-acquired pneumonia or lung infections developed outside of a hospital.
Chlamydiae are Gram-negative bacteria
Image by Giovanna De Chiara, Maria Elena Marcocci, Rossella Sgarbanti, Livia Civitelli, Cristian Ripoli, Roberto Piacentini, Enrico Garaci, Claudio Grassi, Anna Teresa Palamara
Overview
Chlamydia Infections
Image by CDC
Chlamydia Infections
Most people who have chlamydia don't know it since the disease often has no symptoms.
Image by CDC
Chlamydia Pneumoniae Fast Facts
Chlamydia pneumoniae are a type of bacteria that can infect the upper and lower respiratory tracts.
C. pneumoniae can spread when infected people cough or sneeze while in close contact with others, who then breathe in the bacteria.
Most people with C. pneumoniae infections have mild illness or do not have symptoms at all. Although some people can develop a serious lung infection (pneumonia), particularly older adults.
Symptoms of a C. pneumoniae infection usually start gradually. It can take someone 3 to 4 weeks to get sick after breathing in the bacteria.
After gradual onset, symptoms due to C. pneumoniae infection may continue for several weeks or months even with appropriate antibiotic treatment.
Since C. pneumoniae infection is likely underdiagnosed, the actual number of cases each year is unknown.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Additional Materials (2)
Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Chlamydophila psitacci
Video by Maureen Richards Immunology & Microbiology/YouTube
What is chlamydia? | Infectious diseases | NCLEX-RN | Khan Academy
Video by khanacademymedicine/YouTube
8:06
Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Chlamydophila psitacci
What is chlamydia? | Infectious diseases | NCLEX-RN | Khan Academy
khanacademymedicine/YouTube
Causes
Examples of Embedded and Sectioned Material
Image by NIAID/Wikimedia
Examples of Embedded and Sectioned Material
Left to right: MuLV found in pericyte near capillary of mouse neuronal tissue; Chlamydia pneumoniae in HeLa cell 72 hours post infection; Borrelia burgdorferi; Yersinia pestis in flea midgut. Credit: NIAID
Image by NIAID/Wikimedia
Chlamydia Pneumoniae - Causes and How It Spreads
Chlamydia pneumoniae is a type of bacteria that causes respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia (lung infection). The bacteria cause illness by damaging the lining of the respiratory tract including the throat, windpipe, and lungs. Some people may become infected and have mild or no symptoms.
How It Spreads
People spread C. pneumoniae by coughing or sneezing, which creates small respiratory droplets that contain the bacteria. Other people then breathe in the bacteria. People can also get sick if they touch something with droplets from a sick person on it and then touch their mouth or nose.
Most people who spend a short amount of time with someone who has C. pneumoniae infection usually do not become ill. However, it is common for the bacteria to spread between people who live together. C. pneumoniae infections usually have long incubation periods (the time between breathing in the bacteria and developing symptoms). Symptoms usually begin 3 to 4 weeks after exposure.
People at Increased Risk
People of all ages can get sick from C. pneumoniae. It most commonly infects people for the first time when they are school-aged children or young adults. However, reinfection is most common in older adults.
People at increased risk include those who live or work in crowded settings where outbreaks most commonly occur, such as:
Schools
College residence halls
Military barracks
Nursing homes
Hospitals
Prisons
Older adults are at increased risk for severe disease caused by C. pneumoniae infection, including pneumonia.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Symptoms
Irritated Throat
Image by TheVisualMD
Irritated Throat
Irritated Throat
Image by TheVisualMD
Chlamydia Pneumoniae - Signs and Symptoms
In general, Chlamydia pneumoniae infection is a mild illness that most commonly causes an upper respiratory tract infection. These upper respiratory tract infections can include a sore throat or an ear or sinus infection. Common symptoms include:
Runny or stuffy nose
Fatigue (feeling tired)
Low-grade fever
Hoarseness or loss of voice
Sore throat
Slowly worsening cough that can last for weeks or months
Headache
C. pneumoniae can also cause lower respiratory tract infections like bronchitis and lung infections like pneumonia. Some reports say that people with pneumonia caused by C. pneumoniae are more likely to have laryngitis compared to people with other types of bacterial pneumonia.
It can take 3 to 4 weeks for symptoms to appear after someone has been exposed to the bacteria. Symptoms can also continue for several weeks after they start.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Treatment
Antibiotics
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Antibiotics
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Chlamydia Pneumoniae - Treatment and Complications Basics
Diagnosis
Doctors may test to see if a patient has Chlamydia pneumoniae infection by:
Laboratory test that involves taking a sample of sputum (phlegm) or swab from the nose or throat
Blood test
Treatment
Doctors can use antibiotics to treat C. pneumoniae infections, although most people will recover on their own without medicine.
Doctors can use several types of antibiotics to treat C. pneumoniae infections. If a doctor diagnoses you or your child with a C. pneumoniae infection, they will decide the best treatment.
Complications
C. pneumoniae infection is most often a mild disease. However, serious complications can occur that result in needing care or treatment in a hospital, including:
Encephalitis (swelling in the brain)
Myocarditis (swelling of the heart)
C. pneumoniae can cause chronic infection. Some experts think that chronic C. pneumoniae infection might contribute to chronic conditions, such as asthma, arthritis, and atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in your arteries).
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Prevention
Droplet transmission ranges for speaking, intubation, and coughing or sneezing
Image by Rami Sommerstein,corresponding author#1,2 Christoph Andreas Fux,#3 Danielle Vuichard-Gysin,2,4 Mohamed Abbas,5 Jonas Marschall,1,2 Carlo Balmelli,2,6 Nicolas Troillet,2,7 Stephan Harbarth,2,5 Matthias Schlegel,2,8 Andreas Widmer,2,9 and Swissnoso
Droplet transmission ranges for speaking, intubation, and coughing or sneezing
"Droplet transmission and high-risk procedures (potentially generating aerosol). Inner/outer semicircle indicate 2/8 m distance from the patients (center). Center-Right: A high-risk transmission procedure is depicted (“potentially aerosol generating procedure”), where a FFP2 mask is required. Center-Left: Uncontrolled coughing in hospital may cause a turbulent gas cloud to spread beyond 2 m. Regular speech, even in asymptomatically infected patients may generate infectious droplets that travel 1-2 m. This is the rational of HCW to wear surgical masks in the hospital when caring for patients" (sic; "rationale for HCWs")
Image by Rami Sommerstein,corresponding author#1,2 Christoph Andreas Fux,#3 Danielle Vuichard-Gysin,2,4 Mohamed Abbas,5 Jonas Marschall,1,2 Carlo Balmelli,2,6 Nicolas Troillet,2,7 Stephan Harbarth,2,5 Matthias Schlegel,2,8 Andreas Widmer,2,9 and Swissnoso
Chlamydia Pneumoniae - Prevention
There is no vaccine to prevent Chlamydia pneumoniae infection, but there are steps you can take to help protect yourself.
Hygiene
Like many respiratory diseases, people are likely to spread C. pneumoniae by coughing and sneezing. To keep from getting or spreading the bacteria, wash your hands often. This is especially important after coughing or sneezing. To practice good hygiene, you should:
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Put your used tissue in the waste basket.
Cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands, if you don’t have a tissue.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Use an alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are not available.
Antibiotics
C. pneumoniae can sometimes spread to people who have close or lengthy contact with a person with C. pneumoniae infection. However, doctors generally do not prescribe antibiotics to help prevent exposed people from developing a C. pneumoniae infection.
Previous Infections
If you get sick from C. pneumoniae, you may still get sick from it again in the future. Life-long immunity to C. pneumoniae likely does not occur.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
History
Chlamydiae are Gram-negative bacteria
Image by Giovanna De Chiara, Maria Elena Marcocci, Rossella Sgarbanti, Livia Civitelli, Cristian Ripoli, Roberto Piacentini, Enrico Garaci, Claudio Grassi, Anna Teresa Palamara/Wikimedia
Chlamydiae are Gram-negative bacteria
Chlamydiae are Gram-negative bacteria. They are obligate intracellular parasites because their multiplication depends on the host cell for energy and various nutrients. Chlamidiae have evolved a unique biphasic developmental cycle in which they alternate two distinct morphological forms: the elementary body (EB) and the reticulate body (RB). EBs are small tight bodies and represent the metabolically inactive form of bacteria, which can resist environmental stress and survive outside a host for a limited time. Infection begins with the attachment of the EB to the surface of susceptible host cells, followed by its internalization by endocytosis and the formation of phagosomes (Chlamydia inclusions) that are heavily modified by chlamydial proteins which prevent their fusion with lysosomes. Shortly after uptake, EBs differentiate into the metabolically active form of RB and begin to replicate within the phagosomes. RBs replicate by binary fission that, after 24–72 h, becomes asynchronous, with some RBs converting back to EBs. Finally, EBs are released from infected cells, often after causing the death of the host cells, and can infect new cells, either in the same organism or in a new host. C. pneunoniae was classified as the third species of Chlamidia and was associated in humans with acute infections of the lower respiratory tract. It is recognized as a common cause of mild pneumonia in children and young adults. It infects both epithelial cells and macrophages within the lungs and may be disseminated to sites outside of the lungs by infected monocytes and macrophages. Infection may also persist or, alternatively, the bacterium may be present in asyntomatic patients. Recently, a large volume of research showed evidence that C. pneumoniae may contribute directly and indirectly (immuno-mediated) to atherosclerosis. Indeed, it was one of the few infectious agents that have been found within and isolated from cells of human atherosclerotic plaques
Image by Giovanna De Chiara, Maria Elena Marcocci, Rossella Sgarbanti, Livia Civitelli, Cristian Ripoli, Roberto Piacentini, Enrico Garaci, Claudio Grassi, Anna Teresa Palamara/Wikimedia
Chlamydia Pneumoniae - History and Disease Patterns
History
In the 1960s, researchers discovered Chlamydia pneumoniae during vaccine studies to prevent a bacterial eye infection called trachoma. Researchers first thought C. pneumoniae were a virus. Now experts know that C. pneumoniae are bacteria and are not associated with eye infections. In 1983, scientists isolated the bacteria from a respiratory culture for the first time. This development helped scientists understand how C. pneumoniae cause illness in people.
Scientists classify C. pneumoniae as “atypical” bacteria. The clinical presentation of C. pneumoniae pneumonia is different from that of “typical” pneumonia caused by bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. In addition, antibiotics usually used to treat “typical” pneumonia may not work against C. pneumoniae infections.
Disease Patterns
Since C. pneumoniae infection is likely underdiagnosed, the actual number of cases each year is unknown. The number of people who get sick from a C. pneumoniae infection does not change a lot by season.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
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Chlamydia Pneumoniae Infection
Chlamydia pneumoniae is a type of bacteria that can cause respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia. C. pneumoniae is one cause of community-acquired pneumonia or lung infections developed outside of a hospital.