Russians coughing up blood in mycoplasma pneumonia outbreak

The illness that caused Russians to experience coughing up blood and high fever turned out to be mycoplasma pneumonia. 

Photo: Wikipedia by Irfansevket2905, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Man coughing

First reports of an unknown virus that causes infected individuals to cough up blood and develop high fever, appeared on March 29. Patients initially experienced body aches and weakness, while their COVID-19 and flu tests showed negative results.

One of the infected individuals, a young woman, did not respond to antibiotics for a week. Throughout that time, she suffered from persistent coughing fits. By the fifth day, traces of blood started appearing when she coughed. Doctors diagnosed the woman with an acute upper respiratory tract infection.

Russian Academy of Sciences academician Vitaly Zverev noted that it was difficult to determine exactly which virus was causing such symptoms. He also recommended avoiding large gatherings and spending time outdoors for prevention.

Amid reports of a virus causing bloody coughing, Russians were urged to wear masks again and avoid leaving their homes unnecessarily. Virologist Viktor Zuev expressed confidence that Russia was experiencing an outbreak of a disease of unknown origin.

Rospotrebnadzor later denied the emergence of any new infections in Russia. The agency stated that no new viruses or mutations had been detected during epidemiological monitoring and that the situation remained under control.

Mycoplasma infection outbreak in Russia occurred in late 2024

Outbreaks of the disease were recorded in various regions of Russia. In October and November 2024, the incidence of mycoplasma infection in the country nearly quadrupled-rising from 4.9% in 2023 to 19.6% during the same period in 2024. Children and people with weakened immune systems were identified as high-risk groups.

Pulmonologist Sergey Lozhkin pointed out that the infection is particularly dangerous because patients may not show pronounced symptoms in the early stages. As a result, people with mycoplasma pneumonia continue going to work and visiting public places, spreading the bacteria and causing a sharp increase in cases.

Mycoplasma infection is caused by mycoplasma bacteria, which attack human tissues and internal organs and can persist in the body for a long time without symptoms. The infection can trigger severe diseases and even lead to death. Patients with mycoplasma infection report high fever, nasal congestion, coughing, and difficulty breathing.

The disease has two key characteristics: first, it requires prolonged treatment, and second, it may be resistant to treatment, as some antibiotics are ineffective against it. Additionally, infected patients' lungs may appear white on X-ray images. This so-called "white lung syndrome" occurs due to pneumonia when air sacs fill with fluid.

Details

Mycoplasma is a genus of bacteria that, like the other members of the class Mollicutes, lack a cell wall, and its peptidoglycan, around their cell membrane. The absence of peptidoglycan makes them naturally resistant to antibiotics such as the beta-lactam antibiotics that target cell wall synthesis. They can be parasitic or saprotrophic. Several species are pathogenic in humans, including M. pneumoniae, which is an important cause of "walking" pneumonia and other respiratory disorders, and M. genitalium, which is believed to be involved in pelvic inflammatory diseases. Mycoplasma species (like the other species of the class Mollicutes) are among the smallest organisms yet discovered, can survive without oxygen, and come in various shapes. For example, M. genitalium is flask-shaped (about 300 x 600 nm), while M. pneumoniae is more elongated (about 100 x 1000 nm), many Mycoplasma species are coccoid. Hundreds of Mycoplasma species infect animals.