SynthesisThe Indian journal of medical research2011
PCR versus serology for diagnosing Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection: a systematic review & meta-analysis.
Synthesis in The Indian journal of medical research, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 68 citations in OpenAlex.
- Use of serology and polymerase chain reaction to detect atypical respiratory pathogens during acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.The Korean journal of internal medicine · 2018Trial
- Research progress and trends of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children: a bibliometric and visualization analysis (1990s to post-COVID-19 era).Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Comparison between DNA- and RNA-based nucleic acid amplification tests for detecting Mycoplasma pneumoniae in pediatric specimens.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2026Article
- SHAP based feature selection for machine learning prediction of mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia with atelectasis in children.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Epidemiology, temporal trends and co-infection of 13 respiratory pathogens in 32,125 children: a 3-year retrospective study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- Comparison of Typical and Atypical Community Acquired Pneumonia Cases in Hospitalized Patients in Two Tertiary Centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Advances in respiratory medicine · 2025Article
- A diagnostic host-specific transcriptome response for Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia to guide pediatric patient treatment.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Article
- Characteristics of theAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Global research trends ofFrontiers in pediatrics · 2023Review
- Etiology and the challenge of diagnostic testing of community-acquired pneumonia in children and adolescents.BMC pediatrics · 2022Article
- The investigation of P1 gene inNew microbes and new infections · 2022Article
- Clinical Characteristics of Macrolide-RefractoryJournal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Article
- Comparison of different detection methods for Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in children with community-acquired pneumonia.BMC pediatrics · 2021Article
- Article
- Article
- Presenting characteristics, comorbidities, and outcomes of patients coinfected with COVID-19 and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in the USA.Journal of medical virology · 2020Article
- Clinical factors influencing the performance of bacterial multiplex polymerase chain reaction in patients with community-onset pneumonia.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2020Article
- Hepatocyte growth factor can guide treatment ofExperimental and therapeutic medicine · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND &
objectivesDiagnosis for Mycoplasma pneumoniae usually relies on serological tests. PCR technology has some advantages but also limitations. The optimal selection for these tests still needs discussion. This paper reviews the overall diagnostic accuracy of PCR versus serological assays for diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infections and to identify factors associated with heterogeneity of results.
methodsMEDLINE and Embase databases were searched. Articles meeting the selection criteria were retrieved for data collection and analysis. Studies were assessed for methodological quality using QUADAS. Hierarchial summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) model was used to estimate summary ROC curve.
resultsInitial meta-analysis showed a summary estimate of sensitivity (SEN) 0.62 (95% CI, 0.45-0.76), and specificity (SPE) 0.96 (95% CI, 0.93-0.98). Subgroup analyses were performed to identify factors associated with heterogeneity. For different gene targets, reference standards, subjects (children or adults) and different PCR types, these aspects can generate results of heterogeneity. The 16s rDNA target and adult subjects and real-time PCR may have better test results for PCR. INTERPRETATION &
conclusionsCommercial PCR tests generated consistent results with high specificity but a lower and more variable sensitivity. The findings suggest commercial PCR tests having superiorities in diagnosing M. pneumoniae infections but still cannot replace serology. PCR plus serology could be good screening tests for reliable and accurate diagnosis of M. pneumoniae.
Indexed as
Identifiers
21985809PMC3193707W2141762910What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.