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Comparison of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in children admitted with community acquired pneumonia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective study at a tertiary hospital of southwest China

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Abstract

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has notably altered the infection dynamics of various pathogens. This study aimed to evaluate the pandemic’s impact on the infection spectrum of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) among children with community acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Methods

We enrolled pediatric CAP patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in southwest China to compare the prevalence and characteristics of M. pneumoniae infections before (2018–2019) and during (2020–2022) the COVID-19 pandemic. Detection of M. pneumoniae IgM antibodies in serum were conducted using either indirect immunofluorescence or passive agglutination methods.

Results

The study included 1505 M. pneumoniae-positive and 3160 M. pneumoniae-negative CAP patients. Notable findings were the higher age and frequency of pneumonia-associated symptoms in M. pneumoniae-positive patients, alongside a lower male proportion and fewer respiratory co-infections. The year 2019 saw a notable increase in M. pneumoniae infections compared to 2018, followed by a decline from 2020 to 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic period witnessed significant alterations in age distribution, male proportion, and co-infections with specific pathogens in both M. pneumoniae-positive and negative patients. The M. pneumoniae infections were predominantly seasonal, peaking in autumn and winter during 2018 and 2019. Although there was a sharp drop in February 2020, the infection still peaked in cold months of 2020 and 2021. However, the typical seasonal pattern was nearly absent in 2022.

Conclusions

The COVID-19 pandemic has markedly changed the infection landscape of M. pneumoniae in pediatric CAP patients, with shifts observed in infection rates, demographic profiles, co-infections, and seasonal patterns.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

We did not receive funding for this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Practice, Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No. 439, Xuanhua Street, Chongqing, 402160, China

    Ling Ai & Fang Gong

  2. Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, China

    Ling Ai

  3. Central Laboratory, Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 402160, China

    Ling Ai, Beizhong Liu, Liang Fang, Chanjuan Zhou & Fang Gong

  4. Department of Neurology, Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 402160, China

    Beizhong Liu

  5. Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China

    Liang Fang & Chanjuan Zhou

  6. Department of Pediatrics, Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 402160, China

    Fang Gong

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Contributions

Ling Ai, Beizhong Liu, Liang Fang, and Chanjuan Zhou: Investigation, Data curation, Writing-Original draft preparation, Conceptualization, Methodology, Software; Fang Gong: Visualization, Writing-Reviewing, Validation, Supervision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fang Gong.

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Ethics approval

The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of the Yongchuan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.

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As a retrospective study, the need for informed consent was waived.

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As a retrospective study, the need for informed consent was waived.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ai, L., Liu, B., Fang, L. et al. Comparison of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in children admitted with community acquired pneumonia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective study at a tertiary hospital of southwest China. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-024-04824-9

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