Epidemiological changes of Mycoplasma pneumoniae among children before, during, and post the COVID-19 pandemic in Henan, China, from 2017 to 2024

作者：Jingjing Qi, Hongwei Li, Hao Li, Zhuyuan Wang, Shuo Zhang, Xiangying Meng, Xin Zhao, Enwu Yuan, Linlin Zhang · 发表于：Microbiology Spectrum · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1128/spectrum.03121-24 · 被引用次数：14 · 研究领域：Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections、Respiratory viral infections research、Influenza Virus Research Studies

ABSTRACT Studies characterizing the epidemic of Mycoplasma pneumoniae ( M. pneumoniae ) in Henan Province are scarce. Our research investigated the epidemiological changes of M. pneumoniae and macrolide-resistant mutations of M. pneumonia e (MRMP) among children under 18 years from January 2017 to December 2024. The study was categorized into three stages based on the COVID-19 timeline (pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic) to analyze the impact of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on M. pneumoniae in Henan Province. Among 27,056 children, 28.36% tested positive for M. pneumoniae , with the lowest positivity rate in 2022 (12.56%) and the highest in 2023 (35.01%). The positivity rate was greatest in the 6–17 years (41.08%) and lowest in ≤1 year (12.38%). Epidemic seasons were predominantly in autumn (36.71%) and winter (23.12%). The MRMP rate increased from 36.68% in 2018 to 87.16% in 2023, averaging 71.00%. The positivity rate of M. pneumoniae was 26.12% during the pre-pandemic stage, significantly declined during the pandemic stage (14.97%), and rebounded to a high level in the post-pandemic stage (31.88%). The MRMP rate also increased across the three stages: 46.74%, 72.63%, and 83.31%, respectively. These results indicate a significant influence of COVID-19 NPIs on the transmission of M. pneumoniae and MRMP. IMPORTANCE M. pneumoniae is a significant cause of community-acquired pneumonia with a high MRMP rate in China. Various NPIs in the COVID-19 pandemic have im...