[Respiratory tract infections due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae in elementary school children; a case report].

Epidemic respiratory tract infections occurred among elementary school children in Hiroshima prefecture during June, July and August, 1987. Forty (59%) of 68 children who were enrolled in an elementary school were confirmed to have respiratory diseases during this period, ten of whom were hospitalized with diagnoses of pneumonias. Diagnoses of M. pneumoniae infection were made from secretions obtained by throat swabs, and by serological studies of blood specimens. Twenty-four (77%) of the 31 patients examined were confirmed to have M. pneumoniae infections. Twenty-three of them had upper respiratory tract infections with cough and fever; two had pneumonia, one with myringitis. PPLO-broth, SP-4 broth and diphasic medium were used for M. pneumoniae isolation. Among these, SP-4 broth proved to have the highest isolation rate.