China, Denmark, France, and the Netherlands have all recently observed an upswing in pediatric pneumonia cases linked to Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria. Similarly, a surge in cases has been documented in a county in Ohio.
While there is no indication of a widespread increase in Mycoplasma infections in other regions of the United States, this bacterium tends to cause pneumonia outbreaks every one to three years. The US has not experienced a significant wave of these cases since before the Covid-19 pandemic, and experts express little surprise at the possibility of an increase this year.
Dr. Buddy Creech, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, remarked, “We expect that there are going to be some seasons that are worse than others for Mycoplasma infections, and it certainly seems that, across the US and Europe, that this year might be worse than other years.”
Last week, European experts monitoring Mycoplasma at 45 sites in 24 countries reported a rise in cases, which had dropped to less than 1% during the pandemic but began increasing at the start of the year. By summer and fall, there was an average increase of over fourfold, with more substantial rises in Asia and Europe, according to a report in The Lancet Microbe.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributes the rise in cases in China to resistance to the type of antibiotics typically used to treat this infection. Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, explained, “You can see periodic epidemics every few years, especially in the 5- to 12-year-olds, so school-aged kids.”
Mycoplasma, though unfamiliar to many parents, is a known cause of mild or “walking” pneumonia. Symptoms include a lingering cough, often with a fever, headache, and a splotchy rash on the trunk, back, or arms.
Pneumonia, characterized by lung inflammation leading to the accumulation of fluid or pus, can result from various causes, including viruses, bacteria, and chemicals. With respiratory infections from Covid-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) on the rise nationwide, pneumonia cases are also increasing.
Health officials in Warren County, Ohio, reported higher-than-normal numbers of pediatric pneumonia cases, with 142 cases since August. The district emphasized that this does not appear to be a novel respiratory disease but rather a notable increase in the usual number of pneumonia cases.
Testing in the region identified agents such as Mycoplasma and Strep bacteria, along with adenovirus. While doctors in many states are not mandated to report Mycoplasma infections to public health departments, the CDC monitors these infections through emergency departments and laboratory data. CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen stated, “As of today, we are not seeing anything that is atypical in terms of pneumonia-related emergency department visits.”
