Overview of the epidemic characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection around COVID pandemic

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) is a cell wall‐less respiratory pathogen causing community‐acquired pneumonia and extrapulmonary manifestations. It is transmitted through close contact and shows periodic regional outbreaks. Mp has two major clonal lineages (P1‐1 and P1‐2) and herd immunity switches are thought to be responsible for the subtype shifting every 8–10 years. Extensive usage of macrolides for M. pneumoniae infection treatment caused increased macrolide resistance in M. pneumoniae. The coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic interfered with the global spread of M. pneumoniae and herd immunity against M. pneumoniae diminished. A large‐scale post COVID outbreak is currently ongoing in China and other regions of the world. To help physicians better understand and manage this epidemic, we provide this review summarizing current knowledge on the pathogenesis, epidemic characteristics, macrolide resistance, diagnostic methods, and clinical treatment strategies for this pathogen. Image was drawn by Figdraw (https://www.figdraw.com).