Why Testing is Important

“Mycoplasma pneumoniae is very common, and because there have not been reliable tests available clinicians just have not tested. However, things are changing and so we need to ensure we are educated on the latest diagnostic methods available.”

- Ken B. Waites, M.D., F(AAM)

Professor of Pathology; Director, Diagnostic Mycoplasma Laboratory, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Microbiology Consultant and Staff Pathologist, Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center

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Why Testing is Important

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of asthma attacks1

• Children who are not properly treated for Mycoplasma pneumoniae are very likely to suffer more severe asthma attacks later and may be predisposed to inflammatory conditions of all kinds1, 2

Typical antibiotics for respiratory infections like penicillin are not effective in treating Mycoplasma pneumoniae3

• Empiric treatment may lead to antimicrobial resistance4

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References
1. Biscardi, S., Lorrot, M., Marc, E., et al. Mycoplasma pneumoniae and asthma in children. Clinical Infectious Diseases 38.10 (2004): 1341-1346. 2. Hong, Soo-Jong. The role of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in asthma. Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research 4.2 (2012): 59-61. 3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Bacterial Disease. Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection: History and Disease (2016). 4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Division of Bacterial Disease. Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection: Antibiotic Treatment and Resistance (2016). 5. Broulette, J, Yu, H, Pyenson, B, et al. The Incidence Rate and Economic Burden of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in a Working-Age Population. Am Health Drug Benefits (2013): 6(8): 494-503. 6. Waites, K.B., Mitchell F.B., and Atkinson, T.P. New insights into the pathogenesis and detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections. Future Microbiology (2008): 635-648. 7. Waites, K.B., Talkington, D.F. Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Its Role as a Human Pathogen. Clinical Microbiology Reviews (2004): 697-728.