Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 31, 2025
Antigen-Capture Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Specific Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Published on: February 24, 2023
Diagnostic value of quantitative MP-IgG for Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in adults
Lina Wu1, Maosheng Ye2, Xiaosong Qin1
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China.
Abstract:
The passive particle agglutination (PA) test, once widely used for Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) antibody detection, has gradually been replaced by quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). However, the lack of diagnostic criteria for quantitative ELISA M. pneumoniae-IgG (MP-IgG) and the low positive rates of ELISA M. pneumoniae-IgM (MP-IgM) limit the diagnostic value of ELISA for M. pneumoniae infection in adults. Here, the diagnostic value of quantitative ELISA MP-IgG was evaluated in adults with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). The serum M. pneumoniae antibodies were detected in 162 patients with MPP, 228 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) with non-Mycoplasma pneumoniae (NMP), and 162 healthy controls by ELISA, using the PA results as the reference standards. For the MP-IgM-/IgG+ subgroup, a single serum MP-IgG level of ≥92.67 RU/mL can be used as a reference criterion for the diagnosis of acute M. pneumoniae infection. At admission, for patients with CAP, the sensitivity and specificity of ELISA MP-IgM positivity for MPP were 18.51% and 99.56%, respectively. MP-IgM positivity combined with MP-IgG ≥ 92.67 RU/mL increased the sensitivity to 40.12% and decreased the specificity to 94.29%. For paired serum samples obtained within seven days, an ELISA MP-IgG concentration change of ≥1.48-fold and MP-IgG ≥ 92.67 RU/mL on day 7 were used as the diagnostic criteria for M. pneumoniae infection. Accordingly, the combination of qualitative MP-IgM detection and quantitative MP-IgG detection by ELISA is valuable for acute MPP diagnosis in adults.
Insights
Quantitative ELISA for Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibodies shows promise for diagnosing pneumonia in adults. Establishing new criteria for MP-IgG and combining it with MP-IgM improves diagnostic accuracy for acute infections.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
Background:
- Passive particle agglutination (PA) tests were historically used for Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibody detection but are being superseded by ELISA.
- Quantitative ELISA for Mycoplasma pneumoniae-IgG (MP-IgG) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae-IgM (MP-IgM) has limitations in diagnosing adult M. pneumoniae infections due to a lack of diagnostic criteria and low MP-IgM positive rates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic value of quantitative ELISA MP-IgG in adults with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP).
- To establish new diagnostic criteria for acute M. pneumoniae infection using ELISA antibody detection.
Main Methods:
- Serum M. pneumoniae antibodies (MP-IgM and MP-IgG) were measured using ELISA in 162 MPP patients, 228 non-Mycoplasma pneumoniae community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients, and 162 healthy controls.
- PA test results served as the reference standard.
- Diagnostic criteria were developed for single serum samples and paired samples within seven days.
Main Results:
- A single serum MP-IgG level of ≥92.67 RU/mL was proposed as a criterion for acute M. pneumoniae infection in the MP-IgM-/IgG+ subgroup.
- ELISA MP-IgM showed 18.51% sensitivity and 99.56% specificity for MPP at admission.
- Combining MP-IgM positivity with MP-IgG ≥92.67 RU/mL increased sensitivity to 40.12% but decreased specificity to 94.29%.
- For paired samples, a ≥1.48-fold change in MP-IgG and MP-IgG ≥92.67 RU/mL on day 7 were identified as diagnostic criteria.
Conclusions:
- Quantitative ELISA MP-IgG, with proposed new criteria, is valuable for diagnosing acute M. pneumoniae infections in adults.
- Combining qualitative MP-IgM and quantitative MP-IgG ELISA offers improved diagnostic value for acute MPP in adults.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Pneumonia III: Complications and Assessment
01:26Pulmonary Tuberculosis IV
Several diagnostic approaches are used to detect TB. The conventional method is the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST), also known as the Mantoux test. However, this method has...