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Do Serological Tests Provide Adequate Rapid Diagnosis of <i>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</i> Infection?
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2008
Year
Pulmonary CareImmunodeficienciesMycoplasma PneumoniaeDiagnosisPediatric Lung DiseaseSerological TestsDiagnosticsMedical DiagnosisDiagnostic TestClinical EpidemiologySerologic TestingM. Pneumoniae InfectionRespiratory InfectionSerologic ResponseInfection ControlRespiratory DiseasesDiagnostic CriterionPulmonary MedicineClinical MicrobiologyMolecular Diagnostic TechniquesMycoplasma Pneumoniae InfectionPediatricsInfectious Respiratory DiseaseMedicineAdequate Rapid Diagnosis
This study was designed to evaluate the serologic response to Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. A total of 589 children ≤18 years (190 in the year 2004; 399 in 2005) and 2,073 adults ≥18 years of age (980 in the year 2004; 1,093 in 2005) with respiratory symptoms underwent serological testing for M. pneumoniae infection. The tests included passive particle agglutination (PA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The seroprevalence rates of M. pneumoniae infection in the years 2004 and 2005 were 6.9 and 10.1%, respectively. The seropositivity rate was significantly higher in children (29.6% in 2005; 23.7% in 2004) than in adults (2.9% in 2005; 3.7% in 2004) (odds ratio, 8.138 in 2004; 13.923 in 2005; 95% confidence interval, 5.077-13.045 in 2004; 9.220-21.026 in 2005). Paired sera for the PA test were obtained from 32 of 399 children, and 22 of them demonstrated at least fourfold rises in antibody titer. ELISA had a sensitivity of 77.3% and a specificity of 40.0%; PA had a sensitivity of 9.5% and a specificity of 80%. The ELISA test was superior to the PA test in diagnosing acute M. pneumoniae infection in children. Both tests were significantly more sensitive when they were performed 1 week after the onset of infection.