OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) in children and adolescents in Prague, Czech Republic, between January and July 2024, and to compare the findings with data from the preceding period. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data of paediatric patients at our single tertiary care facility was conducted. Two distinct patient cohorts were subjected to analysis: the first comprising individuals who had been hospitalised between January 2019 and July 2024, and the second consisting of outpatients who had been treated during the periods of January to July 2023 and January to July 2024. RESULTS: A 12.3-fold increase in the number of outpatients diagnosed with MPP was observed between January and July 2024 in comparison to the same period in 2023, with 111 cases reported in 2024 versus 9 cases in 2023. A total of 23 patients were hospitalised with MPP between January 2019 and July 2024, with 15 of these hospitalisations having occurred between January and July 2024. The median age was 12 years, with an age range of 1 to 17 years. The majority of cases presented with a high fever, chest pain, and required oxygen support. A failure of the clarithromycin treatment was observed, resulting in 19.48% of doxycycline prescriptions being issued due to a prior failure of clarithromycin treatment. During the monitoring period, no cases of treatment failure with doxycycline were documented. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates an emerging trend of increased incidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in the paediatric population during the initial seven months of 2024 in the Czech Republic. Doxycycline has been demonstrated to be the optimal antibiotic for the treatment of MPP and in accordance with the prevailing practice in other states it should be included in the therapeutic regimen even in children under the age of eight. The authors put forward recommendations for the implementation of measures aimed at reducing the negative impact of MPP on public health.

Department of Paediatrics 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University and Thomayer University Hospital Prague Czech Republic

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