Measles pneumonia. Bacterial suprainfection as a complicating factor.

During a 3 1/2-month period, 32 previously healthy young men were first seen typical prodromal symptoms and signs of measles. On admission or within 48 hours of admission, 16 patients (50%) manifested physical signs and roentgenographic evidence of pneumonia. Of these 16 patients, ten (63%) were found to have bacterial suprainfection or colonization confirmed by culture of transtracheal aspirates. From six of these ten patients, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup Y was isolated as the sole organism responsible for suprainfection. In the other patients, Haemophilus species, Neisseria species (not N gonorrheae or N meningitidis), Streptococcus pneumoniae, and beta-hemolytic Streptococcus (not group A or D were isolated alone or in combination. The data suggest that bacterial supra-infection associated with measles pneumonia is not unusual in adults and N meningitidis serogroup Y is a potential pathogen of the lower respiratory tract.