Tarbiat Modares University Infection Epidemiology and Microbiology 2588-4107 10 1 2024 02 01 Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Pediatric Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Western Iran 31 41 1947 10.61186/iem.10.1.31 EN Roghayeh Amini Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Besat Hospital, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran. Safoura Derakhshan Environmental Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran. Liver and Digestive Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan university of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran. Masoumeh Abedini Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Besat Hospital, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran. Journal Article <span>Background:</span><span> Mycoplasma pneumoniae</span><span> strains are among the main causes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in humans. Early detection of this microorganism is important to improve treatment efficiency. </span><span>This study </span><span>aimed </span><span>to detect</span><span> M. pneumoniae (MP)-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) and MP DNA among pediatric patients with CAP during one week after admission. </span><br> <span>Materials & Methods:</span><span> From September 2019 to February 2020, 56 CAP patients aged 5 to 15 years were investigated for the presence of MP. Throat swabs for molecular detection of MP and blood samples for detection of cold agglutinins and MP-specific IgG and IgM antibodies were collected at admission. Blood and throat samples were taken again 6 days after admission. Macrolide resistance due to mutations in the 23S rRNA gene was also investigated. </span><br> <span>Findings:</span> <span>MP-specific IgM was found in 19.6%, IgG in 16.1%, and </span><span>cold agglutinins in 26.8% </span><span>of CAP </span><span>patients. </span><span>The </span><span>combination of IgM+IgG was not found. </span><span>Tachypnea and the need for intensive care </span><span>were more common in IgM-positive than in IgM-negative patients</span><span>.</span><span> Only four patients </span><span>were positive for MP DNA</span><span>, of whom two patients carried macrolide-resistant isolates. One isolate had an A2063G mutation and the other had an A2064C mutation.</span><br> <span>Conclusion:</span><span> To the best of our knowledge, there are no data on the epidemiology of MP in 5-15-year-old patients with CAP in Kurdistan, western Iran. The possibility of false-positive or -negative reactions and co-presence with other microorganisms could not be excluded.</span><br> https://iem.modares.ac.ir/article_1947_de03beffeed9da5f3639a621bcab5dd4.pdf