Asymptomatic Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infections in Children During a Mycoplasma Outbreak.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of M. pneumoniae detections in asymptomatic children during an outbreak.

METHODS

We prospectively recruited symptomatic and asymptomatic children under 18 years of age between 1 January and 1 November 2024. Picornavirus positivity was also assessed in both groups. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panel was used to detect respiratory pathogens in nasopharyngeal swab samples.

RESULTS

A total of 183 children with respiratory symptoms (median age 11 years, IQR 7.4 to 14) and 61 asymptomatic children (median age 11 months, IQR 3.0 to 121) were included. In the symptomatic group, 46 children (25%, 95% CI 19%-32%) tested positive for M. pneumoniae, whereas none of the asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic children (0%, 95% CI 0%-6.3%) tested positive (p < 0.001). Forty-seven symptomatic children (26%, 95% CI 20%-33%) and eight asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic children (14%, 95% CI 6.3%-26%) tested positive for picornaviruses (p = 0.052).

CONCLUSION

M. pneumoniae detections were rare in asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic children during an outbreak. These findings suggest that multiplex PCR of nasopharyngeal swabs may serve as a specific diagnostic test for acute mycoplasma infections. The generalizability of the study's findings to school-aged children is, however, limited.