Abstract: 　Objective　To explore the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection in neonates. Method　The clinical data of 1348 neonates hospitalized for lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) from January 2011 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were divided into MP infection group and non-MP infection group according to the pathogen detection results. Results　MP was detected in sputum specimens from 135 neonates in 1348 neonates. Among the 135 MP infected neonates, 19 (14.1%) were simultaneously infected with RSV. In 1348 neonates, the median age was 22 days (ranging from 1 to 28 days), the male to female ratio was 1.11:1, the mean birth weight was (3550.0+280.0) g, and the mean gestational age was (37.4+6.4) weeks. Compared with the non-MP infection group, the ratio of newborns at age of 22-28 days, the incidence in spring and the proportion of fever were higher, and the proportion of shortness of breath was lower in the MP infection group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that age>14 days, fever,and shortness of breath were associated with MP infection in neonates (P<0.05). Conclusion　MP is an important pathogen of neonatal respiratory tract infection. Newborns with MP infection were older and had more fever and less shortness of breath.

Key words: Mycoplasma pneumoniae;　epidemiology;　neonate