Epidemiology, clinical features, and laboratory detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in East Azerbaijan, Iran

Abstract

Aim: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is involved in the etiology of many respiratory tract infections. This prospective study describes the epidemiology and clinical properties of M. pneumoniae infections in hospitals of the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Materials and methods: From May 2009 to November 2010, 200 patients with respiratory tract infections were enrolled into this study. Due to antibiotic use 51 patients were excluded. M. pneumoniae from respiratory infections was detected by culture, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. Results: M. pneumoniae infection was detected in 9 (6.15%), 8 (5.3%), and 3 (2.01%) of patients by PCR, ELISA, and culture methods, respectively. M. pneumoniae infection was mostly prevalent in patients 21-80 years old. Most infections (92%) were community-acquired and coughs, fever, dyspnea, and malaise were among the most common symptoms. Conclusion: Pneumonia due to the M. pneumoniae infection is infrequent in Tabriz and the clinical symptoms of the patients were determined to be mild. The PCR method also proved to be more sensitive and reliable than ELISA and culture assays in the detection of M. pneumoniae.