The fall of the Macrolide: Macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) is a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children, accounting for 10-30% of the etiological agents wor ldwide. Yet , the epidemio logy of M. pneumonia-associated CAP in Hong Kong remains unknown for several reasons. First, there is no systemic surveillance of agents causing CAP in place in Hong Kong. Secondly, serology was the mainstay of diagnosis until a few years ago, and the data provided by serology only reflects the trend of disease and it does not provide an accurate measurement of the magnitude of the disease, nor does it provide any data on antibiotic resistance. Thirdly, M. pneumoniae has always been perceived as a benign disease and it was unable to attract the attention of the health care administrators to implement a cumbersome surveillance system and put in resources to study the epidemiology, until recently.