Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Mycoplasma pneumoniae Overview

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an “atypical” bacterium that causes respiratory infections across all ages and is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia in school-aged children and young adults. It infects about 1% of the U.S. population each year (millions of cases); while most are mild, 5–10% of infected patients develop pneumonia. Testing for M. pneumoniae guides therapy and helps explain outbreaks of “walking pneumonia.” (Yun 2024, CDC 2024).

References:

Yun K. W. (2024). Community-acquired pneumonia in children: updated perspectives on its etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Clinical and experimental pediatrics, 67(2), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.3345/cep.2022.01452

CDC. (2024). Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection surveillance and trends. Retrieved November 14, 2024, from https://www.cdc.gov/mycoplasma/php/surveillance/index.html.

Abdulhadi B, Kiel J. Mycoplasma Pneumonia. [Updated 2023 Jan 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430780/

Products used to detect Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Respiratory PCR Panel – Large

The large respiratory PCR Panel is designed for multiplex in vitro assessment of 9 common respiratory microbiota markers, using real-time PCR.

Respiratory PCR Panel – X-Large

The x-large respiratory PCR panel is designed for multiplex in vitro assessment of 25 common respiratory microbiota and resistance markers, using real-time PCR.