Mycoplasma pneumoniae: evolving diagnostic methods for a known pathogen

Abstract

Mycoplasma pneumoniae causes community-acquired pneumonia and extrapulmonary manifestations. It is an important cause of atypical pneumonia in children and can be associated with cyclical epidemics. This manuscript reviews the performance of current M. pneumoniae diagnostic methods, including culture-based, serological and nucleic acid amplification testing. The added value of molecular typing and genome sequencing in controlling M. pneumoniae epidemics is also considered, especially in characterising the evolving epidemiology and detecting genes and mutations associated with antimicrobial resistance, studies of which are lacking in Australia at present.

Keywords: M. pneumoniae; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; atypical pneumonia; community-acquired pneumonia; epidemiology; laboratory diagnosis.