Mycoplasma infection in adolescents and adults in the epidemic season of acute respiratory infections 2023-2024

Objective. The purpose of the study – to study the features of mycoplasma infection in adolescents and adults in the Novosibirsk region in the epidemic season of acute respiratory infections 2023-2024.

Material and methods. А PCR study of nasopharyngeal mucus was conducted to identify M. pneumoniae DNA in 1306 patients aged 15 to 83 years who were admitted to the State Medical Institution of the National Academy of Medical Sciences GIKB 1 with a diagnosis of "ARVI" or "community-acquired pneumonia". Along with this, patients underwent PCR diagnostics of other respiratory infections: influenza, new coronavirus infection, adenovirus, boca and metapneumovirus infections, respiratory syncytial, parainfluenza, etc. Mycoplasma infection was verified in 58 people (4.4%), while in 10 cases (17.2%) a mixed infection was detected: in 1 (1.7%) case of mycoplasma infection with infectious mononucleosis, in 3 (5.2%) – with influenza A, in 1 (1.7%) – with influenza B, and in 4 (6.9%) – with a new coronavirus infection, in 1 (1.7%) – with staphylococcal sepsis. A retrospective analysis of 48 case histories of patients with verified mycoplasma infection was carried out. Patients with mixed infection were excluded from the study.

Results. Adolescents (41.7%) and young people (52.1%) prevailed among the patients (the average age was 25 ± 10.2 years). In the majority of hospitalized patients, the disease occurred in the form of pneumonia – 81.3%, including bilateral polysegmental – 10.4%, less often in the form of bronchitis – 16.6%. Respiratory mycoplasmosis in combination with serous meningitis of unspecified etiology was detected in 1 patient (2.1%). Fever was noted in 93.8%, sore throat – in 60.4%, almost all had a dry paroxysmal cough, turning into a wet one by the third to seventh days of the disease. The duration of the cough, on average, was 14.2 ± 5.0 days. In most patients, pneumonia developed from day 7 to 10 of the disease (43.8%), with an interstitial type of inflammation, rarely accompanied by a bright auscultative picture (33.3%). Pneumonia was mild and was accompanied by respiratory failure of the 1 and 2 st degree in only 3 cases. Mycoplasma infection in most patients was not accompanied by marked changes in the overall blood count. An increase in C reactive protein was characteristic – in 97.9%, including more than 10 times in 60.4% of cases. The ineffectiveness of the applied antibacterial therapy at the outpatient stage, which caused the hospital treatment, is due to the resistance of the pathogen to beta-lactams.

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