Clinical characteristics and predictive indictors of macrolide-unresponsive Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children: a retrospective study
- PMID: 39691386
- PMCID: PMC11649403
- DOI: 10.3389/fped.2024.1489389
Clinical characteristics and predictive indictors of macrolide-unresponsive Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children: a retrospective study
Abstract
Introduction: Macrolide-unresponsive Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MUMPP) cases have been rapidly increasing. The primary reason for this increased incidence is the pathogen's acquisition of resistance through mutations in 23S rRNA genes. Due to the unfeasibility of testing for macrolide susceptibility at the time of admission, this study aimed to assess the clinical features of pediatric MUMPP, using insights from laboratory tests and patterns of chest radiographic resolution.
Material and methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 161 patients with M. pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) between January 2023 and December 2023. These patients were categorized into two groups based on their responsiveness to macrolides: 72 patients were in the MUMPP group, and 89 patients were in the macrolide-sensitive Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MSMP) group.
Results: MUMPP patients experienced a longer duration of fever and hospital stay. A higher proportion of MUMPP patients had shortness of breath, transcutaneous blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) lower than 94%, bilateral lobar infiltrates, lobar pneumonia and pleural effusion. The serum level of serum ferritin (SF), interleukin-6(IL-6), D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase to albumin rate (LAR), and neutrophil to lymphocyte rate (NLR) were higher in MUMPP group.
Conclusions: Our findings revealed that patients with MUMPP exhibit more severe initial radiographic indicators and clinical course compared to those with MSMP. Therefore, it is crucial to promptly administer alternative therapeutic agents besides macrolides for the management of MUMPP.
Keywords: clinical characteristics; early and appropriate treatment; macrolide-sensitive Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MSMP); macrolide-unresponsive Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MUMPP); predictive indictors.
© 2024 Li, Liu, Chen, Xiao, Chen, Wang, Jiang and Yang.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Figures

Similar articles
-
Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of Pediatric Drug-Resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia in the Post-COVID-19 Era.Infect Drug Resist. 2025 Feb 18;18:957-963. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S502937. eCollection 2025. Infect Drug Resist. 2025. PMID: 39990785 Free PMC article.
-
Clinical Characteristics of Macrolide-Refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia in Korean Children: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.J Clin Med. 2022 Jan 8;11(2):306. doi: 10.3390/jcm11020306. J Clin Med. 2022. PMID: 35054002 Free PMC article.
-
Construction of a Nomogram for Identifying Refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia Among Macrolide-Unresponsive Mycoplasma pneumoniae Pneumonia in Children.J Inflamm Res. 2022 Nov 30;15:6495-6504. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S387809. eCollection 2022. J Inflamm Res. 2022. PMID: 36474517 Free PMC article.
-
Macrolide-Resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infections in Pediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia.Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Jul;26(7):1382-1391. doi: 10.3201/eid2607.200017. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020. PMID: 32568052 Free PMC article.
-
Rational stepwise approach for Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children.J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2021 Aug;54(4):557-565. doi: 10.1016/j.jmii.2020.10.002. Epub 2020 Oct 17. J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2021. PMID: 33268306 Review.
References
-
- Otheo E, Rodríguez M, Moraleda C, Domínguez-Rodríguez S, Martín MD, Herreros ML, et al. Viruses and mycoplasma pneumoniae are the main etiological agents of community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized pediatric patients in Spain. Pediatr Pulmonol. (2022) 57(1):253–63. 10.1002/ppul.25721 - DOI - PubMed
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous