Antibodies against atypical pathogens and respiratory viruses detected by Pneumoslide IgM test in adults with community‐acquired pneumonia in Guangzhou City

BACKGROUND: To detect the serum antibodies against respiratory viruses and atypical pathogens in adults with community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Guangzhou City (Guangdong province, China). METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out with samples from 685 adults who were admitted with CAP and 108 non‐CAP control patients. Atypical pathogens and respiratory viruses in serum were detected using the Pneumoslide IgM test from Vircell, Spain. All patients were divided into 6 groups according to age: 18‐24, 25‐44, 45‐59, 60‐74, 75‐89, and >90. RESULTS: The total positive rate of CAP was 35.4%, which was highest in the 18‐24 age group (P < .05). The highest positive rate, 17.11%, was observed for Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP). The mean age of MP‐infected patients was higher than that of the controls (P < .05). The positive rates for influenza B (INFB), Legionella pneumophila (LP1), Coxiella burnetii (COX), influenza A (INFA), parainfluenza virus (PIV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Chlamydophila pneumoniae (CP), and adenovirus (ADV) were 5.56%, 3.07%, 2.63%, 2.34%, 1.90%, 1.61, 0.88%, and 0.29%, respectively. There were 4.37% of patients with CAP having multiple infections. The main symptoms observed in the 685 CAP patients were cough and sputum production, in 78.4% and 67.4%. Fever was followed by 54% of CAP patients. Dyspnea (39.1%), anorexia (36.8%), increased thirst (26.7%), chills (18.7), headache (14.6%), and nausea (13.1%) were also frequently observed in the CAP patients. CONCLUSIONS: MP infection was the most common in adult CAP patients in Guangzhou City with the highest positive rate in the 18‐24 age groups.