TABLE 3.
Comparison of methods for the diagnosis of respiratory M. pneumoniae infection
| Reference | Specimen(s)a | No. of patients | Subject age rangeb | No. (%) of samples positive by detection methodc:
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCR | Culture | CF | DAG | Serology | ||||
| 1 | NA, TA | 190 | 3-66 | 20 (10.5) | 8 (4.2) | ND | 11 (5.8) | 17 (8.9) |
| 4 | TS | 99 | <1-81 | 49 (49.5)f | ND | ND | ND | 32 (32.3) |
| 8 | TS | 21 | 2-18 | 11 (52.4) | ND | ND | ND | 13 (61.9) |
| 10 | BAL, BA, Sp | 163 | 1-81 | 13 (8.0) | 9 (5.5) | ND | ND | ND |
| 11 | BAL, TS | 75 | NS | 6 (8.0) | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 13 | TS, BAL, BA, SP, NSw | 144 | 20-93 | 15/18 (10.4) | ND | 10/18 (6.9) | ND | 4/18 (2.8) |
| 14 | TS | 305 | NS | 12 (3.9) | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 15 | TS | 92 | NS | 7/9 (7.6) | 6/9 (6.5) | 7/9 (7.6) | ND | 7/9 (7.6) |
| 17 | TNA | 93 | NS | 8 (8.6) | ND | ND | ND | 18 (19.3) |
| 20 | NA | 132 | 3m-14y | 3 (2.3) | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 25 | NSw, TS | 66 | NS | 7 (10.6) | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 28 | NA | 1,118 | NS | 91 (8.1) | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 26d | RPA, TA | 165 | 2-15 | 22 (13.3) | 13 (7.9) | 5 (3.0) | ND | 12 (7.3) |
| 30 | NA | 115 | 6m-29m | 30 (26) | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 31 | NA, TS | 48 | <1-16 | 31 (64.5) | ND | ND | ND | 23 (47.9) |
| 34 | TS, BAL, Sp | 197 | NS | 25/34 (12.7) | ND | ND | ND | 31/34 (15.7) |
| 36 | NA | 371 | <1-16 | 13 (3.5) | 8 (2.2) | ND | ND | ND |
| 39 | TS | 105 | NS | 27/31 (25.7) | 31 (29.5) | ND | ND | ND |
| 40 | BAL | 116 | 1-80 | 12 (10.3) | 7 (6.0) | 12 (10.3) | ND | ND |
| 41 | TS | 63 | 21-62 | 9 (14.3) | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 45 | NSw | 3,897 | NS | 283 (7.3) | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 48 | TS | 102 | NS | 35 (34.3) | 21 (20.5) | 40 (39.2) | ND | ND |
| 49 | TS, Sp | 316 | NS | 0 (0) | ND | ND | ND | 23 (7.3) |
| 50 | NSw, TS | 557 | 0-94 | 7 (1.3) | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 51 | TS, Sp | 184 | NS | 3 (1.6) | ND | ND | ND | 2 (1.1) |
| 57 | TS | 155 | 7-92 | 8 (5.2) | ND | ND | ND | 9 (5.8) |
| 62 | NA, BAL | 100 | <1-16 | 20 (20) | 1 (1) | 5 (5) | ND | ND |
| 66 | BAL | 103 | NS | 2 (1.9)f | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 67 | Sp, TS, NSw, BAL, NA | 79 | <1-85 | 9/14 (11.4) | 2/14 (2.5) | 9/14 (11.4)j | ND | 9/14 (11.4) |
| 68 | TS, NSw | 462 | 0-16 | 11 (2.4) | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 69 | Sp | 244 | 5-95 | 7 (2.9) | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| 74 | Sp | 34 | NS | 9/10 (26.5) | 7/10 (20.1) | ND | ND | 9/10 (26.5) |
| 76 | TS | 473 | 15-65 | 4 (0.8)g | 2 (0.6)h | ND | ND | 2/4 |
| 78 | TS | 280 | NS | 73 (26.1) | 22 (7.9)i | ND | ND | ND |
| 79e | NA | 278 | <1-16.5 | 10 (3.6) | 8 (2.9) | ND | ND | 31 (11.2) |
| 83 | TS, NSw | 168 | <1-16 | 5 (3.0) | 5 (3.0) | ND | ND | 10 (6.0) |
Abbreviations: BAL, bronchoalveolar lavage; NA, nasopharyngeal aspirate; NSw, nasal swab; PS, pharyngeal swab; RPA, rhinopharyngeal aspirate; Sp, sputum; TA, tracheal aspirate; TNA, transthoracic needle aspiration; TS, throat swab.
Age ranges given in years (y) unless specified otherwise. m, months; NS, not specified.
Abbreviations: CF, complement fixation test; DAG, direct antigen test; ND, not done.
Twenty PCR-positive specimens were cultured, but complement fixation and IgM serology were not done for all patients.
PCR and culture were not done for all patients.
Results confirmed by another PCR targeting another region of the P1 gene.
Two of four nasopharyngeal aspirates were PCR positive.
Two of 350 throat swab specimens were culture positive.
Culture was done for a selection of 108 of 280 specimens.
Done for 59 of 79 patients.