Comparison of Nucleic Acid Amplification and IgM Tests for the Diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection in Children During a Recent Korean Outbreak

Objective: In the absence of standardized methods for Mycoplasma pneumoniae detection, we evaluated the diagnostic value of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and IgM assays for detecting M. pneumoniae infection in children during a recent Korean outbreak. Methods: The diagnostic performances of PCR and IgM assays for M. pneumoniae in 1,109 clinical specimens were evaluated by the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS) scoring system as an interim reference standard. Results: The level of agreement between both tests was fair. As analyzed by the JRS scoring system, the sensitivity of PCR was 45.2% in the group aged <5 years, 86.8% in the group aged 5 years to 10 years group, and 72.2% in the group aged 10 years to 18 years; the sensitivity of the IgM assay was 66.8%, 71.4%, and 55.6% in each group, respectively. Conclusion: The sensitivity of PCR is relatively low but is superior to that of IgM assays such that diagnostic performance can be improved by both test methods in patients aged <5 years.