Clinical assessment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae has been reported to be an etiologic pathogen of infection-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), but few case reports have been available to date.
Methods: The clinical features of four childhood cases of M. pneumoniae -associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (Mp-HLH) were retrospectively assessed to obtain data that might be useful for early diagnosis and effective management. The previous English-language literature pertaining to Mp-HLH was also reviewed.
Results: The patients were two boys and two girls, aged between 1 and 11 years of age. One patient was demonstrated to have concurrent infection with rubella. All the patients had typical radiographic features of M. pneumoniae pneumonia, and one patient also had encephalopathy as a complication. All the children underwent bone marrow examination because of antibiotic-refractory fever, mild hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenia, hyperferritinemia and elevated levels of urine β2-microglobulin. Cytopenia and hepatosplenomegaly in the present patients were relatively mild as compared to those in cases of other infection-associated HLH such as Epstein–Barr virus infection-associated HLH. Treatment with corticosteroids resulted in prompt and complete resolution in two cases, and i.v. high-dose gammaglobulin therapy achieved a complete response in another child. Spontaneous resolution under treatment with antibiotics alone was observed in one case.
Conclusion: Although Mp-HLH is a rare complication of M. pneumoniae infection, it should always be considered in patients with antibiotic-refractory M. pneumoniae infections with cytopenia. Mp-HLH might be effectively treated by corticosteroids or high-dose gammaglobulin. To clarify the diverse clinical manifestations of M. pneumoniae infections, immunological interactions between M. pneumoniae and the host immune system should be further investigated.