Allergy Asthma Respir Dis.  2023 Oct;11(4):187-192. 10.4168/aard.2023.11.4.187.

Comparison of the characteristics of macrolide-sensitive and macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia requiring hospitalization in children

• Lee E
• Kim SH

• KMID: 2547449
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2023.11.4.187

Abstract

Purpose
This study was performed to investigate differences in clinical, laboratory, and radiologic features of clinical course between macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) and macrolide-sensitive Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MSMP) pneumonia in children.
Methods
A total of 146 children hospitalized with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) pneumonia in a tertiary hospital were enrolled in this study. Information on the characteristics was retrospectively obtained using electronic medical records.
Results
The duration of fever and hospitalization was significantly longer and respiratory virus coinfection was more common in the MRMP group than in the MSMP group (47.0% vs. 24.1%, P= 0.026). No significant intergroup difference in the laboratory findings, except monocytes (%), was observed. The proportion of patients with pneumonic lesions involving more than half of the whole lung was higher (28.2% vs. 10.3%), with a poorer response to the stepwise treatment for MP pneumonia, in the MRMP group than in the MSMP pneumonia group. MRMP pneumonia in children may be associated with a higher disease burden than MSMP pneumonia.
Conclusion
MRMP pneumonia in children might be associated with a more increased disease burden than MSMP pneumonia. This study suggested the need of distinguished therapeutic approaches to reduce the disease burden due to MRMP pneumonia in children.

Keyword

Child; Macrolide; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Pneumonia; Resistance