Are The Mycoplasma Pneumonia Cases At AIIMS Delhi Linked To China Infections?

The Centre on Thursday dismissed media reports linking positive samples of mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria detected by AIIMS New Delhi to the recent pneumonia surge in China as "misleading and inaccurate." The ministry clarified that these cases are unrelated to the rising respiratory infections among children in China and some other countries.

Seven positive mycoplasma pneumoniae cases were identified at AIIMS between April and September, detailed in a global surveillance study published in The Lancet Microbe journal. This bacteria has been associated with the recent respiratory ailments among children in China and accounts for 172 cases in Singapore, the highest in Asia.

However, the ministry emphasized that the media reports linking these bacterial cases and China's pneumonia surge are misinformed and not a cause for concern. These detections are part of an ongoing study at AIIMS and do not connect to the global outbreak.

Additionally, the ministry highlighted that among the 611 samples tested by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) since January, no mycoplasma pneumonia cases were detected. The surveillance included severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), predominantly comprising around 95% of the cases.

The ministry underscored that mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria account for a fraction of respiratory infections (15-30%) and no significant surge has been reported in India. They assured vigilance, staying in touch with state health departments to monitor the situation closely.

The Lancet Microbe study, initiated in April 2022, reported increased incidences of mycoplasma pneumoniae detections in Europe and Asia during April to September 2023. However, the study emphasizes that this re-emergence occurred long after the cessation of Covid-19 restrictions, a phenomenon unique to this pathogen.

The authors noted a drastic decline in mycoplasma pneumoniae incidences during the Covid-19 introduction, followed by a significant reduction in its second year. However, a subsequent increase in case numbers in some countries prompted increased vigilance in the third year.

The study advocates continued monitoring to assess if the re-emergence will escalate to epidemic levels or remain within endemic ranges.