Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common respiratory tract pathogen that causes up to 40% of cases of communityacquired pneumonia in children [1]. A specific diagnosis is essential because treatment of M. pneumoniae infection with β-lactam antibiotics is ineffective. In routine laboratories, serology remains an important diagnostic tool [2, 3]. However, it can only provide a retrospective diagnosis and paired samples are required. Recently developed PCR techniques show high levels of specificity and sensitivity for the rapid detection of M. pneumoniae in clinical specimens[4, 5]; however, PCR alone is not always sufficient for a diagnosis [3]. In lieu of a gold-standard diagnostic method, we aimed to evaluate the laboratory methods currently used to diagnose M. pneumoniae infection in order to find the one most suitable for rapidly diagnosing the illness, especially in the early phase of disease.
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