Molecular detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae virulent gene from sputum samples of subjects attending Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a bacterium whose role as a disease causing agent has been continuously reported especially with the highly sensitive detection methods currently available. It has been implicated in serious illnesses such as community-acquired pneumonia and other lung diseases. Aim: This work investigated the presence of glycerophosphodiesterase (GLPQ) gene of M. pneumoniae in patients attending the chest clinic at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria. Subjects and methods: A total of 263 sputum samples were collected, of which 188 were from test subjects while 75 were from the control subjects. Questionnaires were administered for all the subjects. The samples were examined molecularly for M. pneumoniae using specific primers in the polymerase chain reaction technique. The PCR positive samples were further tested for the presence of GLPQ gene using molecular technique. Results: The Mycoplasma pneumoniae overall prevalence of 7.98% was obtained. A breakdown of the result into the two groups studied showed that the prevalence rate of the organism was more among the test subjects 18(9.6%) compared with the control subjects 3(4.0%). The prevalence of M pneumoniae virulent gene (GLPQ) among the 18-PCR positive subjects was 5(27.8%) and they were detected only in symptomatic female subjects (P<0.05). No virulent gene was detected from the 3 positive control subjects.