Atypical bacterial etiology of acute respiratory infections and clinical characterizations among Iranian children.

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in children younger than 5 years of age are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, particularly in developing countries. Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae are prevalent causative agents of ARIs, worldwide. We sought M. pneumoniae and C. pneumoniae in respiratory samples from Iranian children with ARIs.  From November 2014 to April 2015, respiratory samples of 150 children aged 1 month to 15 years old were screened for presence of M. pneumoniae and C. pneumoniae. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and culture methods were used to detect these bacteria in respiratory samples in the form of throat swabs and nasopharyngeal aspirates. A questionnaire containing demographic and clinical information has been filled up for all participants in this study. Our obtained data showed that out of 150 tested samples, 7 (4.7%) were PCR positive for M. pneumoniae and only one (0.7%) positive sample for C. pneumoniae was detected. However, none of the tested samples was detected M. pneumoniae using the bacterial culture method. All patients with ARIs due to M. pneumoniae showed up with sore throat and flu like symptoms. According to our data, PCR method is more sensitive than culture for detection of M. pneumoniae. With regards to our results, it appears that M. pneumoniae and especially C. pneumoniae were infrequent causative agents in our studied population.