Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To investigate the epidemiological and etiological characteristics of severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (SMPP) complicated with viral infection.
METHODS A retrospective collection of clinical data from 784 SMPP cases treated with bronchoalveolar lavage via bronchoscopy at the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from Jul. 2021 to Jun. 2022 was conducted. Multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect 11 respiratory pathogens, which was combined with serum Mycoplasma antibody titer testing. The cases were divided into a single M. pneumoniae (MP) infection group and an MP mixed viral infection group based on the presence or absence of mixed viral infection. The clinical manifestations, physical examinations, laboratory tests, imaging data and fiberoptic bronchoscopy findings of the children were analyzed.
RESULTS Children over 5 years old were the high-risk group for SMPP. There were 638 cases (81.38%) for single MP infection and 146 cases (18.62%) for mixed viral infection. The top two viruses in mixed infections were adenovirus in 74 cases (50.68% of viral infectioned cases) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in 67 cases (45.89%). The age of the MP mixed viral infection group was (69.34±34.26) months, which was younger than that of the single MP infection group (P=0.005). However, the length of hospital stay, fever duration and proportion of emphysema were 7.00 (6.00, 9.00) days, (7.17±4.33) days and 4.11% (6/146), respectively, which were longer (higher) than those in the single MP infection group (P<0.05). The lactate dehydrogenase level in children with mixed RSV infection was 345.00 (293.00, 425.00) U/L, which was higher than that in children with mixed adenovirus infection (P=0.044).
CONCLUSIONS Adenovirus and RSV are commonly co-infected viruses in SMPP. In terms of laboratory indicators and fiberoptic bronchoscopy findings, the disease characteristics are similar among the single MP infection group, mixed viral infection group, MP mixed adenovirus group and MP mixed RSV group. The children in MP mixed viral infection group are younger, with longer hospital stays and fever durations and a higher incidence of emphysema. The lactate dehydrogenase level in children with mixed RSV infection is higher than that in children with mixed adenovirus infection.