According to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae are on the rise in the United States.

Among school-aged children, M. pneumoniae is a common cause of respiratory infections.

The data collected from the CDC’s National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP) and New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN) during three periods – pre-, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic showed that while infections caused by this pathogen decreased during the pandemic period compared to pre-pandemic levels, they were on the rise in the post-pandemic period.

The report concluded that healthcare providers should include M. pneumoniae in their differential diagnoses of community-acquired pneumonia during the fall and winter respiratory illness seasons.

It also highlighted the need for continued surveillance of such infections and macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae infections in the United States.