Prognostic values of a combination of intervals between respiratory illness and onset of neurological symptoms and elevated serum IgM titers in Mycoplasma pneumoniae encephalopathy

The diagnostic value of serological tests and real-time polymerase chain reaction in children with acute Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection

Background

This study set out to evaluate the clinical significance and diagnostic effectiveness of serological tests and real-time polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) in children of different age groups and disease durations infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP).

Methods

Pediatric patients with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were enrolled and subjected to bronchoalveolar lavage fluid PCR (BALF-PCR) for MP infection. The diagnostic values of the serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) test, paired sera immunoglobulin G (IgG) test, RT PCR applied to nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA-PCR), and combined IgM and NPA-PCR test were evaluated.

Results

When BALF PCR was used as the gold standard, the MP positivity rate of combined IgM and NPA PCR was 78.85%in children aged 3–5 years. The positivity rates of IgM, NPA PCR, and combined IgM and NPA PCR in children older than 5 years were 71.21%, 72.72%, and 84.85%, respectively. The detection rate of combined IgM and NPA PCR was consistent with BALF PCR (Kappa =0.727). The MP positivity rates of combined IgM and NPA PCR at 1–2 weeks was as high as 91.11%, and was consistent with the BALF PCR (Kappa =0.756). Moreover, the positivity rates of IgM or NPA PCR at 2-3 weeks were 63.16%, and were consistent with each other (Kappa =0.771).

Conclusions

Combined IgM and NPA PCR is the optimal test to confirm MP infection among children aged 3–5 years in cases with a disease duration of less than2 weeks, and either NPA PCR or IgM is recommended for children older than 5 years with a disease duration of 2–3 weeks.

Keywords

Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP); diagnosis; children; age; disease duration

The diagnostic value of serological studies in pediatric patients with acute Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection

BACKGROUND

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common pathogen of respiratory tract infections in pediatric patients. Serological studies are traditional methods for the diagnosis. However, early diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infections remains problematic. We investigate the value of early serum immunoglobulin A (IgA), in addition to immunoglobulin G (IgG), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels, in children infected with M. pneumoniae.

METHODS

From August 2016 to February 2017, we enrolled pediatric patients based on both clinical symptoms and chest x-ray, and confirmed by positive throat culture for M. pneumoniae. Serum titers of M. pneumoniae IgM, IgG, and IgA during the acute phase were checked. All respiratory samples were further analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Diagnostic values of different tests were evaluated.

RESULTS

Fifty-six patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria, with a median age of 4.84 years. Most of them (89.3%) were enrolled within 7 days of disease onset. PCR was positive in 71.4% of the study population. Early IgG samples were of limited value in diagnosing M. pneumoniae infection, of which 89.3% showed a negative result. Positive rates of early serum IgA and IgM were 48.2% and 46.4%, respectively. In combination with IgA and/or IgM, the sensitivity increased to 71.4% during their early clinical course.

CONCLUSIONS

In the pediatric population, combined serological tests of M. pneumoniae IgA and IgM, offer an accurate method of early diagnosis comparable to that of PCR, and can be an alternative choice for prompt detection of mycoplasma infections when PCR and culture are not available.

BIS monitoring versus clinical assessment for sedation in mechanically ventilated adults in the intensive care unit and its impact on clinical outcomes and resource utilization

BACKGROUND

Patients admitted to intensive care and on mechanical ventilation, are administered sedative and analgesic drugs to improve both their comfort and interaction with the ventilator. Optimizing sedation practice may reduce mortality, improve patient comfort and reduce cost. Current practice is to use scales or scores to assess depth of sedation based on clinical criteria such as consciousness, understanding and response to commands. However these are perceived as subjective assessment tools. Bispectral index (BIS) monitors, which are based on the processing of electroencephalographic signals, may overcome the restraints of the sedation scales and provide a more reliable and consistent guidance for the titration of sedation depth.The benefits of BIS monitoring of patients under general anaesthesia for surgical procedures have already been confirmed by another Cochrane review. By undertaking a well-conducted systematic review our aim was to find out if BIS monitoring improves outcomes in mechanically ventilated adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of BIS monitoring compared with clinical sedation assessment on ICU length of stay (LOS), duration of mechanical ventilation, any cause mortality, risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), risk of adverse events (e.g. self-extubation, unplanned disconnection of indwelling catheters), hospital LOS, amount of sedative agents used, cost, longer-term functional outcomes and quality of life as reported by authors for mechanically ventilated adults in the ICU.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, ProQuest, OpenGrey and SciSearch up to May 2017 and checked references citation searching and contacted study authors to identify additional studies. We searched trial registries, which included clinicaltrials.gov and controlled-trials.com.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included all randomized controlled trials comparing BIS versus clinical assessment (CA) for the management of sedation in mechanically ventilated critically ill adults.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used Cochrane's standard methodological procedures. We undertook analysis using Revman 5.3 software.

MAIN RESULTS

We identified 4245 possible studies from the initial search. Of those studies, four studies (256 participants) met the inclusion criteria. One more study is awaiting classification. Studies were, conducted in single-centre surgical and mixed medical-surgical ICUs. BIS monitor was used to assess the level of sedation in the intervention arm in all the studies. In the control arm, the sedation assessment tools for CA included the Sedation-Agitation Scale (SAS), Ramsay Sedation Scale (RSS) or subjective CA utilizing traditional clinical signs (heart rate, blood pressure, conscious level and pupillary size). Only one study was classified as low risk of bias, the other three studies were classified as high risk.There was no evidence of a difference in one study (N = 50) that measured ICU LOS (Median (Interquartile Range IQR) 8 (4 to 14) in the CA group; 12 (6 to 18) in the BIS group; low-quality evidence).There was little or no effect on the duration of mechanical ventilation (MD -0.02 days (95% CI -0.13 to 0.09; 2 studies; N = 155; I² = 0%; low-quality evidence)). Adverse events were reported in one study (N = 105) and the effects on restlessness after suction, endotracheal tube resistance, pain tolerance during sedation or delirium after extubation were uncertain due to very low-quality evidence. Clinically relevant adverse events such as self-extubation were not reported in any study. Three studies reported the amount of sedative agents used. We could not measure combined difference in the amount of sedative agents used because of different sedation protocols and sedative agents used in the studies. GRADE quality of evidence was very low. No study reported other secondary outcomes of interest for the review.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We found insufficient evidence about the effects of BIS monitoring for sedation in critically ill mechanically ventilated adults on clinical outcomes or resource utilization. The findings are uncertain due to the low- and very low-quality evidence derived from a limited number of studies.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae-associated mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion: report of two pediatric cases and a comprehensive literature review

BACKGROUND

No literature review exists on Mycoplasma pneumoniae-associated mild encephalitis/encepharopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS).

METHODS

M.pneumoniae-associated MERS cases were searched till August 2016 using PubMed/Google for English/other-language publications and Ichushi ( http://www.jamas.or.jp/ ) for Japanese-language publications. Inclusion criteria were children fulfilling definition for encephalitis, M.pneumoniae infection, and neuroimaging showing hyperintensity in the splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC) alone (type I) or SCC/other brain areas (type II).

RESULTS

We described two children with type I and II M.pneumoniae-associated MERS. Thirteen cases found by the search and our 2 cases were reviewed. Mean age, male/female ratio, duration of prodromal illness was 8.3 years, 1.5 and 3.5 days. The most common neurological symptom was drowsiness, followed by abnormal speech/behavior, ataxia, seizure, delirium, confusion, tremor, hallucination, irritability, muscle weakness, and facial nerve paralysis. Fever was the most common non-neurological symptom, followed by cough, headache, gastrointestinal symptoms, headache, lethargy and dizziness. Seizure and respiratory symptoms were less common. All were diagnosed for M.pneumoniae by serology. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) M.pneumoniae was undetectable by PCR in the 3 patients. Three patients were clarithromycin-resistant. Leukocytosis, positive C-reactive protein, hyponatremia, CSF pleocytosis and slow wave on electroencephalography frequently occurred. All except 2 were type I MERS. Neuroimaging abnormalities disappeared within 18 days in the majority of patients. All type I patients completely recovered within 19 days. Two type II patients developed neurological sequelae, which recovered 2 and 6 months after onset.

CONCLUSIONS

Prognosis of M.pneumoniae-associated MERS is excellent. Type II MERS may increase a risk of neurological sequelae.

Rapid diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children with pneumonia by an immuno-chromatographic antigen assay

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a particularly important pathogen that causes community acquired pneumonia in children. In this study, a rapid test was developed to diagnose M. pneumoniae by using a colloidal gold-based immuno-chromatographic assay which targets a region of the P1 gene. 302 specimens were analyzed by the colloidal gold assay in parallel with real-time PCR. Interestingly, the colloidal gold assay allowed M. pneumoniae identification, with a detection limit of 1 × 10(3) copies/ml. 76 samples were found to be positive in both real-time PCR and the colloidal gold assay; two specimens positive in real-time PCR were negative in the rapid colloidal gold assay. The specificity and sensitivity of the colloidal gold assay were 100% and 97.4%, respectively. These findings indicate that the newly developed immuno-chromatographic antigen assay is a rapid, sensitive and specific method for identifying M. pneumoniae, with potential clinical application in the early diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.