The Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Antibodies (IgG,IgM) test contains 1 test with 2 biomarkers.
Description: The Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibodies test is a blood test used to check for antibodies to mycoplasma which are tiny microbes that are responsible for many respiratory infections.
Also Known As: Mycoplasma Antibodies Test, M. pneumoniae Test, Mycoplasma Test, Mycoplasma IgG IgM Test
Collection Method: Blood Draw
Specimen Type: Serum
Test Preparation: No preparation required
When is a Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Antibodies test ordered?
When someone exhibits severe respiratory symptoms that are not connected to a common bacterial infection, such as pneumococcal pneumonia, mycoplasma testing may be required. Some of these signs could be:
- Coughing that could last for several weeks
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Muscle pains and headaches
Testing may be carried out when an infection spreads to the lower respiratory tract, resulting in "walking pneumonia," and/or spreads to other parts of the body, resulting in complications like rash, arthritis, encephalitis, inflammation of the heart muscle or the lining that surrounds the heart, or hemolytic anemia, and when a person is not responding to conventional treatments. Additionally, during an outbreak, it can be mandated to monitor and manage the spread of mycoplasma pneumoniae infections.
When extremely young infants and people with impaired immune systems experience lung and/or systemic infections or consequences that could be caused by a mycoplasma infection, testing for other mycoplasma species may be done in addition to mycoplasma testing.
IgM and IgG testing are typically carried out when a medical professional has reason to believe that a patient is infected with mycoplasma pneumoniae. A follow-up IgG test may be carried out 2-4 weeks later to track an increase in antibody levels in response to an infection. When a current infection is suspected, a DNA test as well as a mycoplasma culture may be requested.
Because mycoplasmas are frequently a part of the normal flora of the vaginal tract, testing of genital samples is not frequently done. However, when a sexually active male experiences urethral inflammation that is not brought on by gonorrhea or chlamydia or when a female is suspected of having a genital mycoplasma infection after tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia have come back negative, a culture for M. hominis and U. urealyticum may occasionally be requested.
What does a Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Antibodies test check for?
The tiniest known free-living microbes are mycoplasmas. They might be a component of the typical flora that lives in the genitourinary tract, upper respiratory tract, and throat. Mycoplasmas can be challenging to culture and identify because they differ significantly from other forms of bacteria in many ways. To find out if someone has a mycoplasma infection now or in the past, mycoplasma testing is employed.
Mycoplasma testing consists of a variety of procedures that either evaluate the blood antibodies created in response to a mycoplasma infection or directly identify the bacterium by cultivating it or by examining a bodily sample for its genetic information. Most frequently, it is utilized to find Mycoplasma pneumoniae, the culprit behind respiratory illnesses known as "atypical pneumonia."
An estimated 2 million episodes of upper respiratory infections are thought to be caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae each year in the United States. 15–20% of instances of community-acquired pneumonia are caused by it; it can manifest as isolated cases or recurrent epidemics, particularly in school-aged children, military populations, or other environments where people live in close quarters. Despite the fact that outbreaks can happen at any time of the year, they are more common in the late summer and early fall.
The majority of mycoplasma pneumoniae infections are minor and self-limiting, with symptoms including bronchitis, a runny nose, and an ineffective cough that may last for many weeks as the only signs. When the infection extends to the lower respiratory tract and results in "walking pneumonia" or, less frequently, travels to other parts of the body, symptoms may worsen and cause fever, sore throat, headaches, and muscle aches. This is particularly true for newborns, people with underlying medical illnesses like asthma, and people with weakened immune systems like those with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders. Complications can include meningitis, respiratory problems, cardiac inflammation and arrhythmia, skin rashes, lesions or nodules, arthritis, anemia, or Guillain-Barré syndrome, depending on which regions of the body become affected.
Occasionally, testing may be performed to find more mycoplasma species. Infections caused by Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Ureaplasma urealyticum are less frequent than infections caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. These organisms are primarily sexually transmitted in adults. In men, they can cause nongonococcal urethritis and some prostate inflammation, while in women, they can occasionally be linked to vaginal discharge and pelvic inflammatory disease. When a baby is delivered through an infected birth canal, M. hominis and U. urealyticum can be transferred from the mother to the newborn. For the first few years of their lives, they usually inhabit babies. In rare cases, they can lead to systemic infections in young children and those with weakened immune systems.
Lab tests often ordered with a Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Antibodies test:
- Influenza Testing
- RSV Testing
- Chlamydia Testing
- Gonorrhea Testing
- Legionella Testing
Conditions where a Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Antibodies test is recommended:
- Pneumoniae
- Lung Disease
- Asthma
- HIV
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- Arthritis
- Meningitis
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome
How does my health care provider use a Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Antibodies test?
The main purpose of mycoplasma testing is to identify Mycoplasma pneumoniae as the source of a respiratory tract infection. Additionally, a systemic illness that is suspected to be brought on by mycoplasma may be diagnosed with its aid.
Blood tests can detect IgM and IgG antibodies, which are produced in response to a mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. The body produces IgM antibodies first in response to an infection. IgM levels spike briefly and then fall, frequently being detectable in the blood for several months. Following IgM production, IgG antibody production increases throughout time before stabilizing. After contracting a mycoplasma infection, a person will normally carry detectable levels of the IgG antibody for the remainder of their lives. A doctor may request both mycoplasma pneumoniae IgM and IgG antibody tests as acute samples in order to diagnose an active mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and then obtain a second mycoplasma pneumoniae IgG test two to four weeks later as a convalescent sample. This set of tests is required to examine the change in IgG levels and because some individuals, particularly babies and those with weakened immune systems, may not produce the expected levels of IgG or IgM.
What do my Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Antibodies test results mean?
An ongoing or recent M. pneumoniae infection is indicated by significant mycoplasma pneumoniae IgM concentrations and/or a four-fold rise in IgG levels between the initial sample and the convalescent sample. With a re-infection, IgG levels might also rise without IgM.
A person being tested either does not have an ongoing infection, has never had a mycoplasma infection, or their immune system has not developed antibodies in response to the pathogen if neither IgM nor IgG are detected in measurable concentrations.
We advise having your results reviewed by a licensed medical healthcare professional for proper interpretation of your results.
