Prevalence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae in Children with Community Acquired Pneumonia

A prospective one year study was performed on 62 children admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) for the prevalence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae. Diagnosis of infection with M. pneumoniae was based on serological tests viz microparticle agglutination test for detection of IgM antibodies and indirect immunofluorescence test for antigen detection from throat swabs (sensitivity 85.7%, specificity 93.3%). The indirect solid-phase enzyme immunoassay for detection of IgG antibodies was used to determine the prevalence of C. pneumoniae (sensitivity 88.8%, specificity 75.8%). Seventeen patients (27.4%) were found to have serological evidence of M. pneumoniae infection whereas only 4 (6.4%) patients were seropositive for C. pneumoniae. Results of this study indicate that M. Pneumoniae plays a significant role in CAP in infants and young children. Thus specialized laboratory testing for these agents should be more widely used thereby affecting empiric antibiotic regimens.