Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Last updated on Tuesday, 15 September 2026 at 11:34am
Summary
- Topic
- mycoplasma
- Category
- API name
mycoplasma_testing_byAgeGroup
Rationale
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an important cause of respiratory infection that can cause periodic epidemics.
The 2023 to 2024 epidemic highlighted the need for timely and accessible information about changes in Mycoplasma pneumoniae activity.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae epidemics have historically occurred in cycles every 3 to 7 years. In England, the last 3 major epidemic periods occurred at intervals of about 4 years.
Routine surveillance can help identify increases in laboratory detections and provide earlier awareness of possible epidemic activity. Sharing data about Mycoplasma pneumoniae on the UKHSA data dashboard helps to provide a regular and transparent view of infection trends in England.
This can help healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers and the public understand changes in disease activity and support better situational awareness. This also supports UKHSA's commitment to timely and transparent public health surveillance.
Definition
The monthly number of laboratory confirmed positive detections of Mycoplasma pneumoniae reported in England.
Data presented as a time series can be used to monitor changes over time, including seasonal patterns and periods of increased activity.
Methodology
Data collected from the UKHSA Second Generation Surveillance System (SGSS) includes laboratory confirmed positive detections of Mycoplasma pneumoniae reported in England.
The metric measures positive laboratory detections rather than individual cases or episodes of illness. Data presented as a time series show changes in Mycoplasma pneumoniae activity over time.
Patients are identified using NHS number and date of birth. Positive detections from the same patient on the same day are deduplicated. Monthly counts are based on specimen date.
Caveats
The metric measures laboratory detections rather than the number of individual people infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
A person may have more than one respiratory specimen collected during the same episode of illness. If positive specimens are collected on different days, each may be counted as a separate detection. The number of detections may therefore be higher than the number of people with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.
Changes in testing practice, healthcare activity or laboratory reporting may also affect the number of detections reported. Trends should therefore be interpreted alongside other epidemiological and surveillance information.