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Volume 8
Issue 3
10.18683/germs.2018.1139
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GERMS is published by MDPI from Volume 25 Issue 4 (2025). Previous articles were published by another publisher in Open Access under a CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, and they are hosted by MDPI on mdpi.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with the former publisher Infection Science Forum S.R.L..
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Article

High Frequency of Mycoplasma pneumoniae Among Patients with Atypical Pneumonia in Tehran, Iran

by
Maryam Arfaatabar
1,
Farzaneh Aminharati
1,
Ghasem Azimi
2,
Abbas Ashtari
3,
Seyed Ali Pourbakhsh
3,
Ensieh Masoorian
1 and
Mohammad Reza Pourmand
4,*
1
Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Enqelab Square, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of Internal Medicine, Shahed University of Medical Sciences, Freeway Tehran-Qom, Tehran, Iran
3
Reference Mycoplasma Laboratory, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti Street, Hesarak, Karaj, Iran
4
Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health, and Biotechnology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Enqelab Square, Tehran, Iran
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
GERMS 2018, 8(3), 126-133; https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2018.1139
Submission received: 6 May 2018 / Revised: 23 August 2018 / Accepted: 24 August 2018 / Published: 3 September 2018
Versions Notes

Abstract

Introduction: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a major cause of atypical community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) with a prevalence range of 15–20% and up to 40% in adults and children, respectively. In Iran, the recorded frequency ranges between 1–6.15%. We aimed to investigate the frequency of M. pneumoniae among patients with atypical pneumonia acquired from the community. Methods: Over a period of 5 months between January and June 2017, 520 patients with suspected CAP, who had been to the hospital outpatient clinics of Tehran University, were enrolled in this study. Throat swab specimens were obtained from 110 outpatients who presented with symptoms of atypical pneumonia. M. pneumoniae was identified via culture and biochemical tests, such as fermentation of glucose and arginine, hemolysis, and hemadsorption. For confirmation, PCR was performed to amplify the gene fragment coding for p1 adhesin. Results: The major and minor clinical signs of the patients were dyspnea (67.3%) and nausea (15.5%), respectively. Out of 110 specimens, 25 (22.7%) and 29 (26.4%) isolates were identified to be M. pneumoniae via culture and molecular assay, respectively. Comparing the results of the two methods, the PCR showed better sensitivity and rapidity for the detection of M. pneumoniae. There was a high congruence between culture and the PCR assay; kappa level was ‘almost perfect’ (κ = 0.90). Conclusion: This is the first report of high frequency of M. pneumoniae in our region. This finding can serve as baseline information for further investigation and confirmation of the potential epidemics of M. pneumoniae pneumonia in our community.
Keywords: Mycoplasma pneumoniae; epidemiology; culture techniques; polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Mycoplasma pneumoniae; epidemiology; culture techniques; polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

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MDPI and ACS Style

Arfaatabar, M.; Aminharati, F.; Azimi, G.; Ashtari, A.; Pourbakhsh, S.A.; Masoorian, E.; Pourmand, M.R. High Frequency of Mycoplasma pneumoniae Among Patients with Atypical Pneumonia in Tehran, Iran. GERMS 2018, 8, 126-133. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2018.1139

AMA Style

Arfaatabar M, Aminharati F, Azimi G, Ashtari A, Pourbakhsh SA, Masoorian E, Pourmand MR. High Frequency of Mycoplasma pneumoniae Among Patients with Atypical Pneumonia in Tehran, Iran. GERMS. 2018; 8(3):126-133. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2018.1139

Chicago/Turabian Style

Arfaatabar, Maryam, Farzaneh Aminharati, Ghasem Azimi, Abbas Ashtari, Seyed Ali Pourbakhsh, Ensieh Masoorian, and Mohammad Reza Pourmand. 2018. "High Frequency of Mycoplasma pneumoniae Among Patients with Atypical Pneumonia in Tehran, Iran" GERMS 8, no. 3: 126-133. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2018.1139

APA Style

Arfaatabar, M., Aminharati, F., Azimi, G., Ashtari, A., Pourbakhsh, S. A., Masoorian, E., & Pourmand, M. R. (2018). High Frequency of Mycoplasma pneumoniae Among Patients with Atypical Pneumonia in Tehran, Iran. GERMS, 8(3), 126-133. https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2018.1139

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