Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection Among Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Published Literature

 Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children and adolescents. Identifying the incidence and severity of this infection in individuals under the age of 18 can assist in improving the treatment and prevention process.

The present study aimed to evaluate the frequency of M. pneumoniae infection in young patients through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Three major databases (Medline (via PubMed), Embase, and Web of Science) were searched for research about M. pneumoniae infection in children. STATA (version 14) software was used to interpret the data.

Seventy-seven studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria to evaluate the prevalence of M. pneumoniae infection among children. The prevalence of this infection in young patients was 22.5%. The results revealed that children and adolescents in the age range of 10‒18 years old had the highest prevalence of M. pneumoniae (23.1%, 95% confidence interval [CI]=6.7‒39.4), followed by the 5‒10-year-old age group (21.6%, 95% CI=17.9‒25.3] and the under 5-year group (20.9%, 95% CI=16.7‒25.1).

The global rate of M. pneumoniae infection has been gradually increasing since 2001. Finally, more extensive studies on the prevalence of M. pneumoniae infections in children throughout the world are needed to assess its exact prevalence and antibiotic resistance trend.