Mycoplasma Pneumoniae: A Cross-sectional Population-based Comparison of Disease Severity in Preschool and School-age Children

摘要

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae causes epidemics of upper respiratory disease and pneumonia. It is thought that M. pneumoniae usually causes milder upper respiratory disease in preschool children, with a greater chance of pneumonia in school-age children. In this population-based cross-sectional study, we present evidence that severe M. pneumoniae infection is more common in preschool children than previously thought.