Mycoplasma: More Than Just Walking Pneumonia

By Sangita Pedro, ND

Jesse, a 36 year old man, came to me complaining of extreme fatigue, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea and insomnia. These symptoms had been present for over five years. He had previously been diagnosed with Babesia and high levels of antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus. He was treated for these two infections by multiple doctors over a five-year period with no improvement in his symptoms.

The most recent treatment included Mepron (a malaria drug used to treat Babesia) and Valtrex (prescription antiviral medication) daily for six months. The treatment was stopped because his liver was showing signs of inflammation. Blood tests at this point showed a decrease in Babesia and an increase in EBV antibodies and all of his symptoms were worse.  

As you can imagine, Jesse was more than frustrated and ready to give up. I suggested we test for Mycoplasma, a common Lyme co-infection and the stealthiest of stealth microbes. The test came back positive which proved to be the key to a protocol that ultimately gave him his life back.

Stealth microbes are organisms that have developed mechanisms to hide from the hosts’ immune system thereby avoiding detection and death. Mycoplasma does this in two ways: by being very tiny and by lacking a cell wall.

Mycoplasma are the smallest microbes known (at least for now). 4,000 Mycoplasma can fit inside a single red blood cell; 10-15 typical bacteria would fit inside that same red blood cell. Most of their very tiny space is used to carry host genetic information. There is no space left to manufacture nutrients, making Mycoplasma a very small but very effective parasite.

Because they cannot make nutrients themselves, they must scavenge fatty acids, proteins, and carbohydrates from their host in order to survive. This is why people infected with mycoplasma become depleted and fatigued..

Their lack of a cell wall allows them to change form quickly (better for hiding) and squeeze into places that are off limits to other microbes such as red and white blood cells and brain tissue. It also makes them resistant to antibiotics especially in chronic, systemic infections.  

In chronic infections, Mycoplasma are not free-floating in the blood (where the antibiotics are). They live in tissues, hidden from the main blood supply of the host, and protected from the potentially lethal antibiotics.

Mycoplasma can be contracted through air droplets (as in cases of walking pneumonia), tick bites, sexual contact and contaminated food. Each species of Mycoplasma has a preference for certain parts of the body, but they are not picky. All species have the potential to infect all areas of the body if given the opportunity.

Mycoplasma is common in the environment, so most of us have been exposed at some point in our lives. This is not a problem for a healthy immune system. The body creates antibodies to it and effectively eliminates it in 1-3 months.

In some cases, small amounts of Mycoplasma remain behind but don’t cause symptoms until the immune system is weakened. That weakening can be caused by chronic stress, poor diet, toxic exposure and/or infection with other stealth pathogens like Lyme and its various co-infections.

A weakened immune system allows Mycoplasma to begin to multiply and create inflammation which can cause a variety of symptoms in nearly every area of the body. Some common symptoms include fatigue, headaches, brain fog, diarrhea, constipation, weakness, joint and muscle pain, insomnia, and anxiety.

Because Mycoplasma can also be transmitted through a tick bite, there may be no history of respiratory problems. And because ticks can be as small as the head of a pin, most people have no memory of a tick bite.

How someone originally became infected with Mycoplasma is less important that their current symptom picture which tells you where the microbes are living and what needs to be treated.

Because Mycoplasma is a parasite, good nutrition is the foundation of every treatment plan with a diet high in protein and fatty acids and low in carbohydrates. Decreasing inflammation, protecting and healing affected tissues, and improving immune function are essential to eradicating Mycoplasma from the body. This can be accomplished with herbs, vitamins, homeopathy, and IV therapy. 

Mycoplasma, being so small and stealthy, can take longer to treat than other stealth microbes but, in the end, the reward is not only a reversal of symptoms but a stronger, healthier immune system that is resistant to future infections.