Outbreaks of mycoplasma pneumonia have also been reported
Outbreaks of mycoplasma pneumonia have also been reported
ABSTRACT
Eighteen out of 45 children were reported to have a respiratory illness during an outbreak at a temporary dormitory in a nursery school in China in 2011.
To study the outbreak and to determine the risk factors for infection, an epidemiological investigation was performed.
A standardized questionnaire was completed for a total of 45 children with the help of their guardians and parents. In addition, acute- and convalescent-phase serum samples and throat swabs from the children were taken for laboratory diagnosis.
The diagnosis of a Mycoplasma-like illness was based on the following clinical criteria. The criteria were onset of illness after 31 May 2011, characterized by a cough, fever(>37.5°C), or at least 3 of the following symptoms: fever, sore throat, cough or expectoration, and runny or stuffy nose. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), determination of MICs, and sequencing were performed to determine the genotype, antibiotic resistance, and sequence polymorphisms of the isolated strains, respectively. The paired sera revealed that 15 patients were infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
Epidemiology confirmed that this was a point source outbreak, characterized by a short incubation period, a high secondary attack rate, and a long period of hospitalization. PCR-RFLP analysis revealed that the 12 isolated strains of M. pneumoniae shared the same subtype P1 gene, and 23S rRNA sequence analysis showed that these strains harbored two macrolide-resistant gene-related point mutations at position 2063 and 2617.
In this outbreak, the major risk factor was the distance between the bed of the first patient and the beds of close contacts (beds less than three meters apart). The strains isolated in this study were found to harbor two point mutations conferring macrolide resistance, indicating the importance of pathogen and drug resistance surveillance systems.
CCP Dismisses WHO Concerns Over Pneumonia Outbreak as Japan Announces TB Test for Travelers from China
While infections now extend to adults in China, South Korea has reported that mycoplasma pneumonia cases in its children have doubled in November.
Pneumonia Outbreaks in Other Countries
Outbreaks of mycoplasma pneumonia have also been reported
China has responded to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) request for data regarding its spike in respiratory hospitalizations and clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children and increasingly adults around the country.
The attention from the WHO is concerning an “undiagnosed pneumonia” outbreak that is raging through the country, with many sick children overwhelming Chinese hospitals. But it’s reported that the outbreak in China has also spread to adults, with many medical staff reportedly infected, as well as possible cases reported in a neighboring country.
On Nov. 23, the WHO held a conference call with the ruling Chinese Communist Party's (CCP’s) Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Beijing Children’s Hospital regarding its official request for data regarding the undiagnosed pneumonia outbreak in children the day before.
Pneumonia Outbreaks in Other Countries
Outbreaks of mycoplasma pneumonia have also been reported in South Korea, where reports of infections have more than doubled since the third week of October.
According to a Nov. 19 update from the Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 226 or 96 percent of the 236 hospitalized patients across the country with bacterial respiratory infections have “mycoplasma pneumonia.” Most of the patients are under 12-years-old, with 80 percent of new infections being children aged under five.
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