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Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). To better understand the burden of Mp in children hospitalized with CAP, investigators described its clinical and epidemiological features in a prospective surveillance study of 2200 children who underwent real-time polymerase chain reaction assay testing. Results were as follows:
Mp was detected in 8% of the cohort.
The median age of Mp-positive children was 7 years.
Mp prevalence was higher among older children (5–9 years, 17%; 10–17 years, 24%; <5 years, 3%).
Compared with Mp-negative children (all those with CAP, the majority of which is viral), on chest x-ray, Mp-positive children were more likely to show pleural effusion and hilar lymphadenopathy but not c…