Tetracyclines Reduce Fever and Hospital Stay in Mycoplasma pneumoniae Patients: Study
A new study published in the journal of Open Forum Infectious Diseases showed that tetracyclines are associated with shorter hospital stays and fever durations than macrolides and fluoroquinolones in patients with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.
Knowing the epidemiological features of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia is essential for making well-informed diagnostic choices and developing the best possible treatment plans, especially in light of the disease’s recent pandemic resurgence following a period of decline. Infections with Mycoplasma pneumoniae occur both epidemically and endemically, peaking around every four years.
Due to their low minimum inhibitory concentrations and high tolerability, macrolide antibiotics are often used as the first line of therapy for M pneumoniae infections. Thus, this study was set to characterize the incidence rate, patient attributes, therapies, and results of adult patients who were admitted to the hospital due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.
Adults with M pneumoniae pneumonia who were referred to emergency rooms in Stockholm County, Sweden, between 2013 and 2017 were included in this retrospective cohort research. ICD-10 code J15.7 (M pneumoniae pneumonia) and a positive M pneumoniae polymerase chain reaction were used to identify the patients. Population data was taken from statistics sources and medical records were examined by hand.
Nearly, 55% (385/747) of the 747 adults who were hospitalized with M pneumoniae pneumonia had a median age of 42 (interquartile range [IQR], 33–55) years. 8.5 instances per 100,000 person-years was the incidence rate, which peaked in 2016 at 14.1. 71% were hypoxemic at admission, and the most prevalent symptoms were fever (92%) and cough (95%).
The duration of symptoms at admission was prolonged for patients with severe illness. Almost, 0.4% of patients died in the hospital, and 6% needed to be admitted to an intensive care unit. those treated with fluoroquinolones (+0.8 [IQR, 0.1–1.4] days; P =.03) and macrolides (+1.0 [IQR, 0.9–1.2] days; P <.001) had a higher median duration of stay (4 [IQR, 2–6] days) than those treated with tetracyclines.
The patients treated with fluoroquinolones had a substantially longer median fever duration (+0.3 [IQR, 0.1–0.6] days; P =.02) than patients treated with tetracyclines. Overall, the results emphasize the value of prompt and precise therapy as well as the possible advantages of using doxycycline as a first-line medication.
Source:
Hagman, K., Nilsson, A. C., Hedenstierna, M., & Ursing, J. (2025). Epidemiology, characteristics, and treatment outcomes of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in hospitalized adults: A 5-year retrospective cohort study. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 12(7), ofaf380. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaf380
