Clinical observations of children with pleuropneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

A comparative study on the clinical presentation of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection was performed in 56 patients with pleuropneumonia and those who had pneumonia without pleural effusion. The latter consisted of 773 cases; their age distribution reached a peak at 3-5 years of age in males and at 4-6 years in females. The 56 cases with pleuropneumonia were distributed among children of all ages. Pneumococcal infection was demonstrated by blood culture in one of 56 cases. Serological tests revealed a higher prevalence of mixed viral infections among children with pleuropneumonia (18/44) than with pneumonia but no effusion (69/419). There was a tendency toward a severe and prolonged course of illness with strong indications of infection among pleuropneumonia cases. Complications such as exanthema or liver dysfunction were observed more frequently among pleuropneumonia cases than among simple pneumonia cases. These results suggest that other pathogenic agents or unknown host reactions to these agents may modify the clinical picture of pleuropneumonia caused by M. pneumoniae.