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Background <p>Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia in children. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health interventions have significantly influenced the epidemiology of respiratory infections. This single-center retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate changes in MP infection patterns among children before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> Methods <p>We analyzed data from 15,718 pediatric patients (aged 1–18 years) with CAP admitted to Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023. The study periods were defined as pre-pandemic (January 1, 2017, to January 22, 2020), pandemic (January 23, 2020, to December 11, 2022), and post-pandemic (December 12, 2022, to December 31, 2023). Epidemiological characteristics of MP infections were assessed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis.</p> Results <p>Among the 15,718 patients, 5,454 (34.7%) tested positive for MP. The highest positivity rate was observed in children aged &gt; 6 years (52.4%), with a male predominance across all age groups. Most infections occurred in autumn (41.5%). The MP positivity rate was lowest during the pandemic period and highest in the post-pandemic period (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.001). Regression analysis indicated a broadening of the susceptible age range following the pandemic onset.</p> Conclusion <p>COVID-19 containment measures altered the transmission dynamics of MP, affecting demographic characteristics such as age distribution and seasonal trends. Continuous surveillance of MP epidemiology in the post-pandemic era is recommended to inform clinical management and public health strategies.</p>

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Epidemiological characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in hospitalized children before during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in xi’an China

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月6日

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  • Na Liu,
  • Yang Wang,
  • Tao-Min Bai,
  • Fang-Fang Ma,
  • Tian-Tian Han,
  • Huo-Lan Zhu,
  • Xiao-Yan Zhang

摘要

Background

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia in children. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health interventions have significantly influenced the epidemiology of respiratory infections. This single-center retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate changes in MP infection patterns among children before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We analyzed data from 15,718 pediatric patients (aged 1–18 years) with CAP admitted to Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023. The study periods were defined as pre-pandemic (January 1, 2017, to January 22, 2020), pandemic (January 23, 2020, to December 11, 2022), and post-pandemic (December 12, 2022, to December 31, 2023). Epidemiological characteristics of MP infections were assessed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis.

Results

Among the 15,718 patients, 5,454 (34.7%) tested positive for MP. The highest positivity rate was observed in children aged > 6 years (52.4%), with a male predominance across all age groups. Most infections occurred in autumn (41.5%). The MP positivity rate was lowest during the pandemic period and highest in the post-pandemic period (P < 0.001). Regression analysis indicated a broadening of the susceptible age range following the pandemic onset.

Conclusion

COVID-19 containment measures altered the transmission dynamics of MP, affecting demographic characteristics such as age distribution and seasonal trends. Continuous surveillance of MP epidemiology in the post-pandemic era is recommended to inform clinical management and public health strategies.