Occurrence of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae strains in Germany

In a total of 167 respiratory tract specimens from adult outpatients with confirmed Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, sampled between 2003 and 2008, and a further 99 isolates obtained from patients between 1991 and 2009 in Germany, M. pneumoniae was tested for macrolide resistance. Using PCR, real-time PCR and sequencing of the 23S rRNA gene, 1.2% of M. pneumoniae in the respiratory tract samples and 3.0% of the isolates were found to be resistant. The results indicate a limited but not negligible importance of macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae in the population investigated, which requires the monitoring of macrolide susceptibility of isolates or the testing of respiratory samples by molecular methods.