PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Pornanan Domthong AU - Anan Wattanathum AU - Poonapong Harnsiripan AU - Sudaluck Tanyaharn AU - Varunya Wutthichan TI - Emerging macrolide-resistant <em>mycoplasma pneumoniae</em> in Thailand DP - 2014 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - P2493 VI - 44 IP - Suppl 58 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P2493.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P2493.full SO - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44 AB - Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common etiological agent of respiratory tract infection. Although prevalence of macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae (MRMP) isolated has increased rapidly in Asia, there have been no reports concerning MRMP infection in Thailand. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MRMP in Thailand.Methods: Forty-four M. pneumoniae strains were isolated from 420 patients with respiratory tract infections by real-time PCR assay from February 2012 to January 2013. We developed sequencing analysis to detect point mutations in 23S rRNA conferring resistant genotypes.Results: Of 44 clinical isolates, 16 (36.4%) were resistant to macrolide. All MRMP strains harbored an A-to-G transition mutation at position 2063 in 23S rRNA genes. Sixteen patients with MRMP were retrospectively analyzed ( 9 males and 7 females ; mean age 7.1 years) and were compared with macrolide-susceptible M. pneumoniae (MSMP) patients. The mean febrile days were 4.1 days. Rate of hospitalization in the MRMP patients was 62.5%. Interestingly, the MRMP patients were more likely than the MSMP patients to have had a change of the initially prescribed antimicrobial agents to levofloxacin (50% versus 0%; P &lt;0.001).Conclusion: Macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae is a common infection in Thailand. Physicians should absolutely pay close attention to MRMP in case of lower respiratory tract infection. The future prospectively epidemiological monitor of this species is recommended.Key words: macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory tract infection.