# Temporal Clustering of Mycoplasma pneumoniae–Associated Encephalitis and Stroke, South Korea, 2024

## TL;DR

A cluster of pediatric encephalitis and stroke cases linked to a Mycoplasma pneumoniae outbreak in South Korea suggests new neurological risks post-pandemic.

## Contribution

Identifies a novel temporal clustering of neurological cases during a Mycoplasma pneumoniae epidemic in South Korea.

## Key findings

- Seventeen pediatric cases of encephalitis or stroke were temporally clustered during the 2023–2024 M. pneumoniae epidemic.
- Similar neurological patterns were not observed in previous M. pneumoniae seasons.
- Findings suggest postpandemic changes in clinical manifestations and highlight the need for neurological surveillance.

## Abstract

Seventeen pediatric encephalitis (n = 12) or stroke (n = 5) cases clustered temporally during the 2023–2024 Mycoplasma pneumoniae epidemic in South Korea; similar patterns had not been noted in previous seasons. Those findings might reflect postpandemic changes in clinical manifestation and underscore the need for neurologic surveillance during M. pneumoniae epidemics.