Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 2025; 27(3):390-394
To determine prevalence of M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae in patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the autumn-winter period 2022–2023 in the Smolensk region.
The study involved 53 patients with exacerbation of COPD who applied to the State Medical Institution «KB No. 1» in Smolensk for medical help. The clinical material for the study was a scrape from the posterior wall of the pharynx. DNA of the pathogen was detected using the AmpliSens® Mycoplasma pneumoniae/Chlamydophila pneumoniae FL kit (Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Moscow, Russia).
The median age of the examined patients was 65 years (from 50 to 78), among them 12 women (21.2%), 41 men (78.8%). The proportion of patients with mild and moderate course was 54%, severe and extremely severe – 46%. M. pneumoniaе, C. pneumoniae were not detected in all the presented samples.
According to the clinical recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for the management of COPD [1], the appointment of macrolides is indicated for exacerbation of the disease in patients with mild and moderate course without risk factors, as well as in long-term therapy is recommended for patients with frequent purulent exacerbations, regardless of severity. It should be noted that the widespread use of macrolides is limited by the risk of bacterial resistance to them and side effects (cardiotoxicity, hearing loss). In this regard, it is of interest to further study the prevalence of «atypical» pathogens in exacerbation of COPD, as well as the algorithm for the use of antibiotics in this group of patients.