Mycoplasma pneumoniae Community-Acquired Pneu monia at Three Hospitals in Bangkok
CHUTIMA CHAOPRASONG, M.D.*, NONGLAK CHANTHADISAI, M.D.*, UNCHALA BUASAP, M.D.**, SURANAN TIRAW A TNAPONG, M.Sc.***, ANAN WATTANATHUM, M.D.*
Affiliation : * Pulmonary Division, Department of Medicine, ** Department of Radiology, Phramongkutklao Hospital, Bangkok 10400, *** Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
Method : The authors prospectively investigated the cause of CAP in adult patients at three general hospitals from September 1998 to August 1999. Paired sera were tested forM. pneumoniae infeCtion by using particle agglutination and definite diagnosis was based on a fourfold increase in antibody titer.
Results : Seventeen (21.3%) of 80 patients had pneumonia due toM. pneumoniae. Mean age was 28.3 years old (range 18-40). The most common clinical manifestations were cough (100% of cases), fever (82.4% of cases), and headache (47% of cases). Eighty-eight per cerit of these patients were classified as class I category, according to the AT S guideline. All patients had a white blood cell count between 4,000-12,000 cells/mm3 * In addition, the common radiographic manifestations were alveolar shadowing (53%), and mixed alveolar and interstitial shadowing (29.4%). Sixteen cases (94%) were treated with the appropriate antibiotic and all patients survived without complica tion.
Conclusion : These findings suggest that M. pneumoniae is a common cause of CAP in Bangkok, Thailand. This type of pneumonia usually occurs in young adults and can usually be treated as ambulatory patients.
Keywords : Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Community-Acquired Pneumonia
