Inflammatory lesions of the skin and mucous membranes in children and adolescents may be signs of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and should be identified and treated early, researchers say.

Dr. Patrick Meyer Sauteur of University Childrens Hospital Zurich and colleagues analyzed data from their study of the ELISpot assay to assess the frequency and clinical presentation of M. pneumoniae-induced mucocutaneous disease in children with CAP. As reported in JAMA Dermatology, 152 children (median age, 5.7 years; 55.3% male) were included. Forty-four (28.9%; median age, 8.7; 60% male) tested positive for M. pneumoniae by PCR, and of these, 10 (22.7%) developed mucocutaneous lesions.