Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Detection in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by Molecular Method

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease characterized by irreversible progressive obstruction of the airways which occur in three forms including; emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and small airways disease. The aim of this study was to identify Mycoplasma pneumoniae in respiratory secretions of patients with COPD by PCR method. Among the referral patients, 100 cases of COPD; consisting 54 men and 46 women; were participated in the study. To detect Mycoplasma pneumoniae in respiratory secretions, two methods of standard kits and PCR method with specific designed primers were compared. The number of positive results for presence of Mycoplasma pneumonia was 4 out of 100 patients by kit method, while it was 3 out of 100 in the second PCR method. In general, PCR is a suitable method for detecting mycoplasma pneumonia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.