Surveillance and Reporting

There is no national reporting or surveillance system for Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections. An estimated 2 million cases of M. pneumoniae infection occur each year in the United States, but the true size of the health problem is unknown and likely underestimated.

Outbreaks occur mostly in crowded environments like college dormitories and nursing homes. Visit the publications page for articles on a sample of outbreaks that involved M. pneumoniae.

References

• Marston BJ, Plouffe JF, File Jr TM, Hackman BA, Salstrom SJ, Lipman HB, Kolczak MS, Breiman RF. Incidence of community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalization. Results of a population-based active surveillance study in Ohio. The Community-Based Pneumoniae Incidence Study Group. Arch Intern Med. 1997;157:1709–18.
• Porath A, Schlaeffer F, Lieberman D. The epidemiology of community-acquired pneumonia among hospitalized adults. J Infect. 1997;34:41–8.