The clinical and paraclinical characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia with macrolide-resistant genes in children

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the clinical features and paraclinical characteristics of pneumonia caused by macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) bacteria in children. The study involved 103 children with pneumonia infected by MP from July 2021 to June 2023 at the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital. The 23S rRNA gene segments containing the macrolide resistance mutation were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subsequently subjected to DNA sequencing. The results of this study showed that the prevalence of macrolide-resistant MP was 69.9%, with A2063G and A2064G mutations accounting for 98.6 and 1.4%, respectively, while no C2617 mutation was detected. Common clinical symptoms included productive cough (94.4%) and fever (51.4%). Patients with macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae exhibited higher serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentrations. The most common lesions on chest X-rays were alveolar infiltrates and consolidation, with proportions of 50 and 45.8%, respectively. The study updates information to guide the rational use of antibiotics in the treatment of pneumonia in children.