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Worldwide, Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a frequent cause of acute respiratory infection in children and young adults, and schools are often foci for outbreaks. Upper respiratory infection is most common and is usually self-limited, but severe lung infection can occur, necessitating antimicrobial therapy.
In the fall of 2024, surveillance in a Missouri public school district revealed a spike in cases of acute respiratory illness (ARI) among students and staff that led to absences. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify common bacterial and viral ARI pathogens in nasal swab samples. M. pneumoniae–positive swab material was then analyzed at CDC for the presence of macrolide resistance mutations. Prevalence of M. pneumoniae v…