Community Acquired Pneumonia Due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae versus Non-Mycoplasma Pneumoniae: A Comparative Analysis from a Tertiary Care Hospital

Aims: The study aims to compare the clinical and microbiological profile in adult, hospitalised patients of community acquired pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) vs other bacterial agents.

Study Design: Prospective, observational study.

Place and Duration of Study: Study was carried out in Department of Microbiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal in a span of eighteen months (August 2014 to February 2016).

Methodology: A Hospital based study in a tertiary care center was conducted. Adult hospitalised patients suspected of community acquired pneumonia (according to IDSA guidelines) were included in the study. Cases with immunosuppression and prior hospital admission were excluded. Respiratory samples were collected and cultured for all the studied cases. PCR was performed for the detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae by targeting P1 gene.

Results: The study cases (n=140) had mean age of 57 years and mean hospital stay of 7 days, comprising 67.6% males and 32.4% females. Amongst all the cases of CAP that were included in the study, Mycoplasma pneumoniae was detected in 23(16.4%) cases with 12 (52.2%) cases due to MP alone and 11 cases (47.8%) had multiple bacterial etiology. Symptoms such as chest pain (91.7%), joint pains (45.8%), earache (41.7%) and sepsis (56.5%) were significantly higher (p<0.005) when Mycoplasma pneumonia was the detected pathogen. Moreover worsening of clinical condition and mortality was also observed higher in this group.

Conclusion: Association of higher morbidity and mortality, as observed in current study, highlights the importance of early and timely diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia.