Author/Editor		Meyer Sauteur, Patrick M.; Beeton, Michael L; Uldum, S; Bossuyt, Nathalie; Vermeulen, Melissa; Loens, Katherine; Pereyre, Sabine; Bébéar, Cécile; Keše, Darja; Day, Jessica
Title		Mycoplasma pneumoniae detections before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
Type		članek
Vol. and No.		Letnik 27, št. 19
Publication year		2022
Volume		str. 1-19
ISSN		1560-7917 - Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin
Language		eng
Abstract		Background Mycoplasma pneumoniae respiratory infections are transmitted by aerosol and droplets in close contact. Aim We investigated global M. pneumoniae incidence after implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against COVID-19 in March 2020. Methods We surveyed M. pneumoniae detections from laboratories and surveillance systems (national or regional) across the world from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 and compared them with cases from corresponding months between 2017 and 2020. Macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae (MRMp) data were collected from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2021. Results Thirty-seven sites from 21 countries in Europe, Asia, America and Oceania submitted valid datasets (631,104 tests). Among the 30,617 M. pneumoniae detections, 62.39% were based on direct test methods (predominantly PCR), 34.24% on a combination of PCR and serology (no distinction between methods) and 3.37% on serology alone (only IgM considered). In all countries, M. pneumoniae incidence by direct test methods declined significantly after implementation of NPIs with a mean of 1.69% (SD ± 3.30) compared with 8.61% (SD ± 10.62) in previous years (p < 0.01). Detection rates decreased with direct but not with indirect test methods (serology) (‐93.51% vs + 18.08%; p < 0.01). Direct detections remained low worldwide throughout April 2020 to March 2021 despite widely differing lockdown or school closure periods. Seven sites (Europe, Asia and America) reported MRMp detections in one of 22 investigated cases in April 2020 to March 2021 and 176 of 762 (23.10%) in previous years (p = 0.04). Conclusions This comprehensive collection of M. pneumoniae detections worldwide shows correlation between COVID-19 NPIs and significantly reduced detection numbers.
Keywords		Mycoplasma pneumoniae pandemija COVID-19 results of a global survey Mycoplasma pneumoniae COVID-19 pandemic rezultati globalne raziskave