title: Molecular characterizations of PCR-positive Mycoplasma pneumoniae specimens collected from Australia and China.
abstract: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an important cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). In this study, M. pneumoniae strains in PCR-positive specimens collected from patients in Sydney, Australia (30 samples), and Beijing, China (83 samples), were characterized using multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA), P1-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis, and sequencing of domain V of the 23S rRNA gene to compare genotype distribution and macrolide resistance rates between locations. Eighteen distinct MLVA types were identified in specimens from Sydney, of which 10 were known (types E, G, J, M, N, P, U, V, S, and X) and 8 previously unknown. Strains were equally distributed between P1-RFLP type 1 and type 2 variants. Among samples from Beijing, MLVA types E, G, J, P, U, X, and Z and four new types were identified. Most specimens belonged to P1-RFLP type 1. A nomenclature based on five VNTR loci is proposed to designate MLVA patterns. Macrolide resistance-associated mutations were identified in only 1 of 30 specimens (3.3%) from Sydney and 71 of 83 (85.5%) from Beijing (P<0.05). This study demonstrated that although multiple individual M. pneumoniae strains were circulating in Beijing, the genotypes were less diverse than those in Sydney. However, the greatest regional difference was in the incidence of macrolide resistance, which may reflect differences in antibiotic use and/or measures in resistance control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Guanhua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Qinning
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Neisha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jeoffreys
authors.forename: Liqiong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shaoli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Gwendolyn L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Hongmei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001315:Australia; D002681:China; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D018942:Macrolides / Q000494:pharmacology; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D018942:Macrolides