Acute respiratory illness with Mycoplasma pneumoniae. An outbreak in a home for children.

Abstract

SummaryAn outbreak of acute respiratory illness, in a few cases combined with primary atypical pneumonia (P.A.P.), occurred in August‐October 1964 in a home for children in Stockholm. Seventeen out of 22 children (age 1–12 years) fell ill during the observation period, four of them twice.By using a battery of antigens (viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) and bacterial antigens) in a serological study on paired sera, it was found that nine children developed a significant rise of CF antibodies against MP only, two had rise of antipneumolysin titre only, whereas one child had rising antibody titres against adenovirus and MP as well as against Haemophilus influenzae. MP was cultivated from the throat in four cases.Of the 15 children with proved or probable fresh MP infection two were healthy, four had an afebrile mild upper respiratory illness, six had acute respiratory illness with fever, mostly of short duration, and without clinical signs of pneumonia. In three cases, all above 5 years of age, P.A.P. was demonstrated.