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The MYTHIC Study challenges the antibiotic use for childhood pneumonia. This research project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

Planned study start: Summer 2024 This study enrolls children aged 3 to 17 years with pneumonia.

Study

The MYTHIC Study is a national multicenter study investigating whether children with mycoplasma (Mycoplasma pneumoniae) pneumonia need antibiotic treatment. Mycoplasma is one of the most common bacterial causes of childhood pneumonia. So far, recommended treatment for mycoplasma infections are macrolide antibiotics. However, the effect of macrolides in children with mycoplasma pneumonia is unclear. The MYTHIC Study challenges the antibiotic use in 3 to 17 year old children with mycoplasma pneumonia. The main objective is to investigate the efficacy of macrolide antibiotics for mycoplasma pneumonia in children. The results will have a significant impact on antibiotic prescription and may reduce the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in children with pneumonia. This investigator-initiated clinical trial is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

Epidemiology

Cases of mycoplasma infections declined dramatically after the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions to contain the COVID-19 pandemic such as mandatory masking in 2020. After mycoplasma has been absent for nearly four years, mycoplasma infections have been re-emerging in summer 2023 in Europe and Asia. Since fall 2023, we have recorded case numbers in Europe and Asia that could be observed during mycoplasma epidemics before the COVID-19 pandemic. It is difficult to predict when and how high the re-emergence will peak and also if it will result in an increase in rare severe disease because of the reduced exposure.

The surveillance of mycoplasma infections across the world can be followed in real time: ESCMID: ESGMAC MAPS study

Sponsorship

People

PD Dr. Dr. med.
Patrick Meyer Sauteur

Principal investigator

Prof. Dr. med.
Christoph Berger

Sponsor 

Dr. phil. des.
Romy Tilen
Trial manager

Barbara Schaub
Trial administrator

Dr. sc. ETH
Ester Osuna
Trial coordinator 

Dr. rer. nat.
Margarete von Wantoch

CRC manager

Dr. sc. ETH
Stefanie von Felten
Trial statistician

Participating hospitals

Universitäts-Kinderspital Zürich
Eleonorenstiftung
Steinwiesstrasse 75
CH-8032 Zürich

PD Dr. med. Michelle Seiler
michelle.seiler@kispi.uzh.ch
+41 44 266 71 11

Kinderklinik
Stadtspital Zürich Triemli

Birmensdorferstrasse 497
CH-8063 Zürich

Prof. Dr. med. Maren Tomaske
maren.tomaske@stadtspital.ch
+41 44 416 11 11

 

Klinik für Kinder und Jugendliche
Kantonsspital Winterthur

Brauerstrasse 15
Postfach
CH-8401 Winterthur

Dr. med. Andreas Jung
andreas.jung@ksw.ch
+41 52 266 41 44

Universitäts-Kinderspital beider Basel (UKBB)
Spitalstrasse 33
CH-4056 Basel

Prof. Dr. med. Ulrich Heininger
ulrich.heininger@ukbb.ch
+41 61 704 12 12

PD Dr. med. Julia Bielicki
julia.bielicki@ukbb.ch
+41 61 704 28 58

 

Ostschweizer Kinderspital
Claudiusstrasse 6
CH-9006 St. Gallen

Dr. med. Anita Niederer-Loher
anita.niederer@kispisg.ch
+41 71 243 71 11

 

Kantonsspital Graubünden
Departement Kinder- und Jugendmedizin

Loëstrasse 170
CH-7000 Chur

Dr. med. Beate Deubzer
beate.deubzer@ksgr.ch
+41 81 256 61 11

Luzerner Kantonsspital
Kinderspital, Haus 33
Spitalstrasse
CH-6000 Luzern 16

Dr. med. Alex Donas
alex.donas@luks.ch
+41 41 205 31 66

Kantonsspital Aarau
Kinderspital, Haus 9
Tellstrasse 25
CH-5001 Aarau

Prof. Dr. med. Henrik Köhler

henrik.koehler@ksa.ch
+41 62 838 41 41

 

Kinderklinik Inselspital
Universitätsspital Bern

Freiburgstrasse
CH-3010 Bern

PD Dr. med. Philipp Agyeman
philipp.agyeman@insel.ch
+41 31 632 21 11

PD Dr. med. Kristina Keitel
kristina.keitel@insel.ch
+41 31 632 54 68

Hôpital des enfants
Hôpitaux Universitaires Genève

Rue Willy-Donzé 6
CH-1205 Genève

Dr. med. Noémie Wagner
noemie.wagner@hcuge.ch
+41 22 372 40 00

 

Hôpital de l’enfance de Lausanne
Département femme-mère-enfant

Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV)
Rue du Bugnon 21
CH-1011 Lausanne

Dr. med. Ludivine Coulon
ludivine.coulon@chuv.ch
+41 21 314 11 11

 

Pädiatrie
HFR Freiburg – Kantonsspital

Postfach
CH-1708 Freiburg

PD Dr. Dr. med. Petra Zimmermann
petra.zimmermann@unifr.ch
+41 26 306 00 00

Istituto Pediatrico della Svizzera Italiana
Ospedale San Giovanni
Via Athos Gallino 12
CH-6500 Bellinzona

Dr. med. Lisa Kottanattu
lisa.kottanattu@eoc.ch
+41 91 811 91 11

 

Contact

mythic@kispi.uzh.ch