Acute pancreatitis and serological evidence of infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Paired acute and convalescent serum samples from 27 consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis were examined for evidence of infection with several viral agents. Evidence of infection with Coxsackie viruses group B was found in three patients, and of infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae in nine patients (33%). This latter finding confirms recent reports from Scandinavia linking pancreatitis and serological evidence of infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The possibility that a true association exists between the two conditions is considered, together with alternative explanations, and further work is envisaged to elucidate these findings.