Symptoms:

The symptoms are generally mild and appear over a period of 1 to 3 weeks. They may become more severe in some people.

Common symptoms include the following:

• Chest pain
• Chills
• Cough, usually dry and not bloody
• Excessive sweating
• Fever (may be high)
• Headache
• Sore throat

Less common symptoms include:

• Ear pain
• Eye pain or soreness
• Muscle aches and joint stiffness
• Neck lump
• Rapid breathing
• Skin lesions or rash

Signs and tests:

Persons with suspected pneumonia should have a complete medical evaluation, including a thorough physical exam and a chest x-ray -- especially because the physical exam may not always be able to tell pneumonia apart from acute bronchitis or other respiratory infections.

Depending on the severity of illness, other tests may be done, including:

• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Blood cultures
• Blood tests for antibodies to mycoplasma
• Bronchoscopy
• CT scan of the chest
• Open lung biopsy (only done in very serious illnesses when the diagnosis cannot be made from other sources)
• Sputum culture to check for mycoplasma bacteria

A urine test or a throat swab may also be done.