Review questionThis review sought to answer the question of whether antibiotics are effective in the treatment of LRTIs caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) in children. BackgroundM. pneumoniae is a bacterial infection, often responsible for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in children. The infection can present in a number of different ways and the most common respiratory manifestations are acute bronchitis, pneumonia or wheezing. The illness is generally self limiting, with symptoms that can last several weeks but may (occasionally) also cause severe pneumonia. Antibiotics are often given to children with M. pneumoniae LRTI. Search dateWe searched for trials published and pending as at July 2014. Study characteristicsRandomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing either two types of antibiotic therapy or an antibiotic versus a placebo in children with pneumonia. Key resultsWe identified seven studies (1912 children). Within each study, there were some children who had M. pneumoniae but we could not extract relevant data relating to efficacy or adverse events relating only to children with M. pneumoniae. Quality of evidenceOverall the quality of the evidence for each of the main outcomes is very low as there are insufficient data for any outcome. Hence, currently, there is insufficient evidence to show conclusively that antibiotics are effective in children with LRTI caused by M. pneumoniae.