Increasing Number of Clinically Severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infections in Children After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single-Center Case Series.
McCarthy KN., Hatcher J., Best T., Kaliakatsos M., Hassell J., Turnbull A., Sidgwick P., Gavela J., Simmonds J., Kucera F., Warris A., Kadambari S.
In 2024, there have been increases in laboratory-confirmed infections caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae worldwide. This case series highlights the increasing frequency of M. pneumoniae-positive PCR (polymerase chain reaction) specimens and an increased number of hospital admissions with M. pneumoniae clinical syndromes. Within this case series, we observed a change in the epidemiology and clinical burden of childhood M. pneumoniae disease in the post-COVID-19 era.