bacterial bronchitis symptoms :: Article Creator Could Your Cough Be Walking Pneumonia? Here Are The Symptoms Of The Spiking Bacterial Illness Walking pneumonia, a lung infection caused by the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae, tends to be most common among older children and adolescents but in 2024 has been rampant among young children. (BartekSzewczyk—Getty Images) Walking pneumonia is what it sounds like, a form of pneumonia so seemingly mild that people with the bacterial illness are often up and about—and inadvertently spreading germs. As the disease continues to circulate nationwide this fall, it's important to take note of its subtle symptoms. A bacterium called Mycoplasma pneumoniae causes two types of respiratory tract infections: the more common chest cold, tracheobronchitis, and the less common lung infection, walking pneumonia. Though we're in the thick of respiratory illness season, the bacterium can spread year round. This year...