title: [Application of Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibody and load index in the diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the role of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) load and antibody measurements in the diagnosis of MP pneumonia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 115 children with MP pneumonia and 400 healthy children were enrolled. The MP load and total antibody level were measured at different stages, and the MP load index (MPLI) was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cut-off value of MPLI for MP infection was 6.12. MPLI and total antibody titer increased during the course of the disease, while MP-DNA decreased rapidly. Within the same time of blood collection, the group with a higher MP load had a significantly higher total antibody titer than the group with a lower MP load (P<0.05). Within 2 weeks of the course of the disease, the negative antibody group had a significantly higher MPLI than the positive antibody group (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MPLI provides a standardized quantitative value of MP-DNA and plays an important role in the early diagnosis of MP infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Xiamen Maternal and Children's Hospital, Xiamen, Fujian 361003, China. lijm2030@sina.com.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Ji-Ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hui-Fen
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li-Lin
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Qing-Rong
authors.initials: QR
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.forename: Hong-Ba
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial