title: Measles pneumonia. Bacterial suprainfection as a complicating factor.
abstract: 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.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications*; D003231:Conjunctivitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000175:diagnosis; D005334:Fever / Q000175:diagnosis; D006190:Haemophilus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000150:complications*; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014132:Trachea / Q000382:microbiology