Pediatricians across the nation are seeing a rise in cases of mycoplasma pneumoniae, and in Saint Joseph teenagers are staying in the hospital longer than usual.

"It's specifically mycoplasma pneumoniae in this age group, which, mycoplasma is what we call an atypical pneumoniae. So, not the bacteria that we normally expect to cause pneumonia. And so it is more common in that age group, and what we're seeing is that number seems to be a lot higher than it has in years past, and that's other physicians' experience throughout the nation as well." Dr. Karen Davis, Pediatric Hospitalist at Saint Joseph Hospital in Mishawaka said.

Part of what's unusual is the severity of the symptoms in teens.

"So, I'm definitely seeing a lot more here in the hospital. Kids get pneumoniae, but the overwhelming majority, especially in that age group, don't necessarily end up being hospitalized. So, this year has definitely been out of the ordinary in that I've had quite a few kids end up admitted to the hospital because they're requiring oxygen or just having a lot more severe symptoms." Davis said.

Mycoplasma is a bacterial infection that causes inflammation in the lungs, causing the body to feel that there is an "unfriendly" object that needs to be removed.

"Mycoplasma requires a specific type of antibiotic to be treated. It does not respond normally to the normal antibiotics that we use with children. A lot of times kids will get amoxicillin or the pink stuff that tastes like bubble gum as they often say. But mycoplasma requires what is called a macrolide, a type of antibiotic that's in the class of macrolide." Saint Joe County Health Officer Dr. Michelle Migliore said.

Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, sour throat and soar chest. If you are experiencing fever-like symptoms that persist you should see a doctor.

"If you're not getting better, if you're getting worse, you really should put a call into your physician." Migliore said.