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. 2025 Mar;31(3):555-558.
doi: 10.3201/eid3103.241570.

Macrolide-Resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infections among Children after COVID-19 Pandemic, Ohio, USA

Amy L Leber, Tori Embry, Kathy Everhart, Jeanette Taveras, Sophonie J Oyeniran, Huanyu Wang

Macrolide-Resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infections among Children after COVID-19 Pandemic, Ohio, USA

Amy L Leber et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections decreased in Ohio, USA, during the COVID-19 pandemic but reemerged in 2023; >2,000 cases were reported during September 2023--September 2024. Of 995 M. pneumoniae-positive samples, 24 (2.4%) had mutations for macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae (MRMp). MRMp rates are low but increasing. MRMp surveillance is crucial for monitoring antimicrobial resistance.

Keywords: COVID-19; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Ohio; SARS; SARS-CoV-2; United States; antimicrobial resistance; coronavirus; coronavirus disease; macrolide resistance; pediatrics; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viruses.

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Figures

Figure
Figure
Monthly testing volumes and rates of MRMp infections among children after COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio, USA. Samples were tested for Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection during September 2023–September 2024 by FilmArray Respiratory Panel version 2.1 (BioFire Diagnostics, https://www.biofiredx.com), an in-house M. pneumonia PCR, or both. Macrolide resistance was determined in a subset of samples. MRMp rates were not available during September 2023–December 2023. MRMp, macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
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