Is Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Infection Associated with Adult Asthma Exacerbation?
Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection has been considered as a cause of initial onset of bronchial asthma or
exacerbation of asthma. For example, Kraft, et al showed that M. pneumoniae
was detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction in 10 of 18 asthmatics and one of 11 control subjects.
Furthermore, Martin, et al reported that thirty-one of 55 asthmatic adult patients were PCR-positive for Mycoplasma or Chlamydia spp. compared with 1 of 11 (9%) control patients. In both of those studies, M. pneumoniae was confirmed primarily in lung biopsy specimens or in lavage fluid.
We performed comprehensive analysis for multiple pathogens, including M. pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, and common respiratory viruses using PCR or real-time PCR techniques.
However, our preliminary data, obtained for both outpatient (n=29) and inpatient (n=15) subjects suffering from asthma attacks, did not detect M. pneumoniae or C. pneumoniae in the nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs from these individuals.
In contrast, real-time PCR detected virus in 6.9% (n=2) and 46.7% (n=7) of subjects with asthma
exacerbations in outpatient and inpatient settings, respectively. The incidence of virus-positive viral status was significantly higher in the latter group.
This observation was similar to the results obtained in a previous study that, using PCR-based viral diagnostics, detected viral respiratory infections in up to 50% of adults with asthma exacerbations.
Thus, in the context of social and economic costs, our preliminary data suggest that viral infection in
asthmatic patients may be more important for case management than is M. pneumoniae infection in these patients.
Pulm Res Respir Med Open J. 2015; 2(4): 126-127. doi: 10.17140/PRRMOJ-2-121
