Acute respiratory infection due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae: current status of diagnostic methods

Abstract

Because of the absence of well-standardized both in-house and FDA-approved commercially available diagnostic tests, the reliable diagnosis of respiratory infection due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae remains difficult. In addition, no formal external quality assessment schemes which would allow to conclude about the performance of M. pneumoniae diagnostic tests exist. In this review, the current state of knowledge of M. pneumoniae-associated respiratory infections in the context of epidemiological studies published during the past 5 years is discussed, with particular emphasis on the diagnostic strategies used and their impact on results. The role of M. pneumoniae as a cause of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) differs from study to study due to geographical and epidemiological differences, as well as to the application of different diagnostic techniques and criteria used.

COMPARISON OF ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY WITH IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE ASSAY FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF <I>MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE</I> RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS IN CHILDREN

“…Sensitivities of serologic assays for the detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibodies are known to vary (Beersma et al, 2005;Loens et al, 2010), IgM ELISA used in our previous study was found to be the most sensitive and specific (Abdul-Wahab et al, 2013), which is in agreement with the results obtained by other studies (Waris et al, 1998;Dorigo-Zetsma et al, 1999;Souliou et al, 2007;Vervloet et al, 2007;Myeong et al, 2012), IFA assay on the other hand, was found more sensitive and specific in adults (Andreu et al, 2006), the assay is relatively easy to perform and gives quantitative results but the main limitations are subjectivity of the interpretation of results and cross-reaction with rheumatoid factor (Vervloet et al, 2007).…”

Cambiando los paradigmas de la infección por M. pneumoniae en pediatría

“…Un incremento de cuatro veces o más en el título de anticuerpos indica una infección reciente. 65 El inconveniente de utilizar IgM como marcador de infección aguda en niños radica en que pacientes menores de 6 meses pueden no producir IgM. Otra importante limitación de la serología para el diagnóstico de infección aguda por M. pneumoniae radica en una inadecuada producción de anticuerpos en algunas infecciones o una respuesta inmune humoral deficiente como resultado de alguna inmunosupresión.…”

“…66 Las muestras clínicas disponibles para la prueba de PCR incluyen secreciones orofaríngeas y nasofaríngeas, esputo, lavado traqueobronquial y biopsia de pulmón. 65 Se ha sugerido que el uso de la PCR en combinación con la serología puede proporcionar un mejor diagnóstico y puede ayudar a distinguir entre colonización e infección verdadera.…”

Current Status of the Mollicute (Mycoplasma) Lung Disease: Pathogenesis, Diagnostics, Treatment and Prevention

“…A worldwide rise in the frequency of M. pneumoniae-associated lower respiratory tract disease has been observed, from 6 ->30% in the 1990s, to 0 -66.7% in 2010 [Reviewed by Loens et al, , 2010. Therefore the pathogenic role of M. pneumoniae in respiratory disease has been proved in persons of all ages, sometimes causing severe respiratory disease, and it may induce clinically significant manifestations in extrapulmonary sites by direct invasion and/or immunologic effects.…”