Sakurai N, Nagayama Y, Honda A, Makuta M, Yamamoto K, Kojima S
Department of Pediatrics, Asahi General Hospital, Japan.
J Infect. 1988 May;16(3):253-61. doi: 10.1016/s0163-4453(88)97604-9.
The causes of lower respiratory tract infections in 1544 children attending a Japanese hospital over a period of 7 years were investigated. Both cultivation and two serological techniques were used to detect Mycoplasma pneumoniae whereas viral involvement was investigated only by serology. Pathogens were identified in 52% of 1175 patients with pneumonia and 36% of 369 patients without pneumonia. Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection was specifically diagnosed in 414 (26.8%) of the 1544 patients. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was dominant in children up to 2 years of age. By the age of 3 years, M. pneumoniae was equalling it in incidence and became the main pathogen in older groups. It is suggested that M. pneumoniae may be more important in the 3-6 years age group than hitherto suspected. These observations may influence the choice of antibiotics for treating lower respiratory tract infections in childhood.
对一家日本医院7年间收治的1544名儿童下呼吸道感染的病因进行了调查。采用培养法和两种血清学技术检测肺炎支原体，而病毒感染仅通过血清学进行调查。在1175例肺炎患者中有52%、369例非肺炎患者中有36%检测到病原体。1544例患者中，有414例（26.8%）被明确诊断为肺炎支原体感染。呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）在2岁以下儿童中占主导地位。到3岁时，肺炎支原体的发病率与之相当，并成为年龄较大组的主要病原体。提示肺炎支原体在3至6岁年龄组中可能比迄今所怀疑的更为重要。这些观察结果可能会影响儿童下呼吸道感染治疗中抗生素的选择。
