Tracheobronchial clearance 5-15 months after infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Tracheobronchial clearance was studied in 17 non-smokers who had suffered from a serologically verified Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia 5-15 months earlier. The subjects inhaled 6 micron teflon particles tagged with 99mTc. The retention of the particles in the lungs was measured for 2 h. The retention after 2 h in this group was significantly higher than in a control group of healthy non-smokers. The results suggest that some impairment persists 5-15 months after the infection or that persons with slow clearance contract a mycoplasma pneumonia more easily than do those with fast clearance.