Epidemiological update: Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections - recent increases reported in EU countries
In January 2012, the ECDC conducted a rapid assessment on the status of surveillance for M. pneumoniae infection in EU and EEA countries. Available data seem to indicate that southern Europe is not yet facing an increase as important as that reported in the north.
Recent surveillance data from Denmark and Finland indicate an increase in reporting rates for Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections during the autumn of 2011 [1-2]. This increase is the second season of the epidemic whose start was documented in the 2010/2011 winter season [1-2].
In Norway, during the same time period in 2011, an epidemic of M. pneumoniae infection has resulted in shortages of erythromycin which was being used as first line treatment for respiratory tract infections suspected to be caused by this pathogen [3].
In January, 2012, the ECDC conducted a rapid assessment on the status of surveillance for M. pneumoniae infection in EU and EEA countries. Results indicate that for the 20 (out of 30) countries that replied to the survey, M. pneumoniae surveillance activities are highly variable across countries. Available data seem to indicate that MS from southern Europe are not yet facing an increase as important as that reported in northern MS [4].
Increasing awareness among health care providers countries not yet heavily affected could strengthen surveillance activities and ensure a timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment of the disease in affected patients [4].
M. pneumoniae is a bacterium lacking a cell wall and is a major cause of respiratory disease in humans. Transmission of M. pneumoniae is from person-to-person by respiratory droplets and its incubation period varies from one to three weeks. M. pneumoniae causes infections of the upper and lower respiratory tracts in children and adults, is one of the aetiological agents of community-acquired pneumonia and can cause extra-pulmonary manifestations.
The most prominent clinical symptoms are malaise, fever, headache and cough and in children aged less than five years, coryza and wheezing. The most commonly reported extra-pulmonary manifestations are of the central nervous system (CNS), including encephalitis and cranial nerve palsies, but can also be dermatological, haematological and cardiac. Diagnostic testing for MP include polymerase chain reaction (PCR), serological assays and others, each with varying sensitivities and specificities and limited standardisation between testing protocols.
National and international guidelines are available for the management of community-acquired pneumonia, including for those caused by M. pneumoniae. Therapeutic decision-making is up to the clinical judgement of the treating physician based on clinical presentation, co-morbidities, risk factors, assessment of pneumonia severity and the available evidence-based guidelines.
