Clinical spectrum and detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in infants with wheeze in community acquired pneumonia

Dr Surinder Kumar; Dr Urvashi Suman

Volume : VIII, Issue : XII, December - 2019

Clinical spectrum and detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in infants with wheeze in community acquired pneumonia

Dr Surinder Kumar, Dr Urvashi Suman

Abstract :

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) is the leading atypical bacterial pathogen responsible for lower respiratory tract infection including infants, which is often associated with wheeze. We studied 55 infants up to 24 months of age having community acquired pneumonia presenting with acute wheeze. Cough and fever were most common symptoms while consolidation and infiltrates were most common radiographic abnormality present. M. pneumoniae was determined by detecting immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibody in blood by employing enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as well as detecting P1 adhesin gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in nasopharyngeal aspirate. M. pneumoniae was found to be positive in 16.4% cases employing both the tests. Our study confirms the role of M. pneumoniae in infants presenting with wheeze which often misdiagnosed as viral pneumonia due to overlapping symptoms.