Mycoplasma infection in children (literature review)
Zaitseva S.V., Zastrozhina A.K., Murtazaeva O.A.

Moscow State Medical Stomatological University named after A.I. Evdokimov

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is often the main etiological factor of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children. The features of this causative agent determine its long-term persistence and its ability to escape the control of the host’s immune system. Despite the fact that the effectiveness of the treatment of ARI, and especially mikoplasma infection, is closely related to the accuracy of etiological diagnosis, it seems almost an impossible in the practical health care. There are no specific clinical and radiological signs of the disease, which would allow a practical doctor to make a differential diagnosis of ARI. In addition to this, the outpatient laboratory diagnostics in Russia is often unavailable and complicated by the possibility of false positive and false negative results. It often results in a recurrence of respiratory symptoms of the upper and lower respiratory tract, in particular in a prolonged cough in children, and the lack of rational treatment. Despite the fact that up to 40% of the out-of-hospital infections in children aged 5 years and more are etiologically caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, in accordance with clinical recommendations the therapy of these infections begins with beta-lactam antibiotics, and not with a group of macrolides. Patients often receive several ineffective courses of antibiotics, thus contributing to the formation of resistance of bacteria to antibacterial drugs. That’s why it is necessary to expand the diagnostic base for the timely diagnosis of infection associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae. On the other hand, further researches are needed to develop drugs for specific prevention of such a complex infection as respiratory mycoplasmosis.

Key words: children, Mycoplasma pneumoniae respiratory infections, antibiotics, macrolides, azithromycin.
For citation: Zaitseva S.V., Zastrozhina A.K., Murtazaeva O.A. Mycoplasma infection in children (literature review) // RMJ. 2017. № 5. P. 327–334.