title: Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in schoolchildren of a tropical community.
abstract: Information about Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in tropical countries is scarce. This study reports the prevalence of anti-M. pneumoniae antibodies among schoolchildren from the tropical community of Palmares, Costa Rica. The serum samples were collected in July 1983 from 2021 children who represented 99% of the county's schoolchildren. Immunofluorescence (IFA) and in some cases ELISA serological methods were applied. IFA seropositivity was high (53%) and ranged from 22% to 79% depending on the district. Marked differences in the prevalence of antibodies in children attending schools of neighboring communities, suggest that the school may be epidemiologically important as a focus to spread mycoplasma infections among children. The presence of a low percentage of antibodies (IgG, IgM and IgA) against the 168 kd- M. pneumoniae antigen suggested that there were few cases of active or recent infections.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Costarricense de Investigación y Enseñanza en Nutrición y Salud (INCIENSA)-DESAF, Tres Ríos, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bolaños
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ramírez
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Barboza
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jacobs
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003364:Costa Rica / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission; D015995:Prevalence; D014329:Tropical Climate