Clinical characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia in children caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae with or without myocardial damage:A single-center retrospective study

BACKGROUND Mycoplasma pneumoniae(MP)is a prevalent pathogen that causes respiratory infections in children and adolescents.AIM To assess the differences in the clinical features of MP-associated communityacquired pneumonia(CAP)in children who presented with mild or severe mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(MPP);to identify the incidence of myocardial damage between the two groups.METHODS This work is a retrospective study.We identified children between 2 mo and 16 years of age with clinical and radiological findings consistent with CAP.We admitted patients to the inpatient department of the Second Hospital of Jilin University,Changchun,China,from January 2019 to December 2019.RESULTS A total of 409 hospitalized patients were diagnosed with MPP.Among them were 214(52.3%)males and 195(47.7%)females.The duration of fever and cough was the longest in severe MPP cases.Similarly,plasma levels of highly sensitive Creactive protein(t=-2.834,P<0.05),alanine transaminase(t=-2.511,P<0.05),aspartate aminotransferase(t=-2.939,P<0.05),and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)(t=-2.939,P<0.05)were all elevated in severe MPP cases compared with mild MPP cases,and these elevations were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conversely,the neutrophil percentage was significantly lower in severe MPP cases than in mild MPP cases.The incidence of myocardial damage was significantly higher in severe MPP cases than in mild MPP cases(χ^(2)=157.078,P<0.05).CONCLUSION Mycoplasma pneumoniae is the main cause of CAP.The incidence of myocardial damage was higher and statistically significant in severe MPP cases than in mild MPP cases.

Proteomics study of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia reveals the Fc fragment of the IgG-binding protein as a serum biomarker and implicates potential therapeutic targets

Macrolide and corticosteroid resistance has been reported in patients with Mycoplasma pneumoniae(MP)pneumonia(MPP).MP clearance is difficult to achieve through antibiotic treatment in sensitive patients with severe MPP(SMPP).SMPP in children might progress to airway remodeling and even bronchiolitis/bronchitis obliterans.Therefore,identifying serum biomarkers that indicate MPP progression and exploring new targeted drugs for SMPP treatment require urgency.In this study,serum samples were collected from patients with general MPP(GMPP)and SMPP to conduct proteomics profiling.The Fc fragment of the IgG-binding protein(FCGBP)was identified as the most promising indicator of SMPP.Biological enrichment analysis indicated uncontrolled inflammation in SMPP.ELISA results proved that the FCGBP level in patients with SMPP was substantially higher than that in patients with GMPP.Furthermore,the FCGBP levels showed a decreasing trend in patients with GMPP but the opposite trend in patients with SMPP during disease progression.Connectivity map analyses identified 25 possible targeted drugs for SMPP treatment.Among them,a mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase(mTOR)inhibitor,which is a macrolide compound and a cell proliferation inhibitor,was the most promising candidate for targeting SMPP.To our knowledge,this study was the first proteomics-based characterization of patients with SMPP and GMPP.