Comparison of culture method, polymerase chain reaction and serological test for the detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in children with pneumoniae / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To compare the capabilities of culture method, polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) and serological test in identifying Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in children with confirmed com-munity acquired pneumonia. Methods Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum samples were collected from hospitalized children with community acquired pneumonia in Capital Institute of Pediatrics from March to May in 2016. Three methods, traditional culture method, PCR and serological test, were respectively used to de-tect Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in those children. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS18. 0 software and chi-square test. Results Seventy-nine children with community acquired pneumonia were enrolled in this study. Eight (10. 13%) patients were diagnosed with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infec-tions by the traditional culture method with an average positive culture period of 21 days. Twenty-three (29. 11%) patients showed positive results by using PCR analysis, including the 8 patients identified by the culture method. Forty-one (51. 90%) patients were found to be positive for Mycoplasma pneumoniae infec-tions by the serological test. However, four negative samples identified by the serological test were confirmed to be positive by PCR analysis, including two positive samples confirmed by the culture method. Statistical analysis showed that the differences in positive rates detected by using the three methods were statistically significant. Conclusion It is recommended that both serological test and PCR analysis should be used in combination with clinical symptoms for a comprehensive assessment of Mycoplasma pneumonia infection in children.