Myeoplasma pneumoniae Infections in Patients with Immunodeficiency Syndromes: Report of Four Cases

Abstract

Acute infections with Mycoplasma pneumoniae were observed in four patients with immunodeficiency syndromes. The illnesses were unusual in that symptoms were more severe, cough persisted longer, and there were minimal or no changes on chest roentgenograph. Treatment with tetracycline and erythromycin resulted in rapid improvement. Two patients suffered repeated episodes of mild pruritic rashes associated with joint pain during convalescence. The lack of radiologic chest findings suggests that pulmonary infiltrates in immunologically normal persons with M. pneumoniae infection may be a result of an immunologic reaction. That our patients did recover and stop excreting the organisms indicates that part of resistance to M. pneumoniae infection may be due to cell-mediated immunity.