title: Low prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae among patients with symptoms of respiratory tract infections in Dutch general practices.
abstract: Acute respiratory disease is one of the most common reasons to consult a general practitioner. A substantial part of these diseases cannot be explained by an infection with a virus or a common pathogenic bacterium. To study this diagnostic deficit, the prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections was determined in two groups of patients consulting a general practitioner. DNA of C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae was detected by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in nose/throat swabs from six (1.1%), and from seven (1.3%) patients, respectively, of 557 patients consulting a general practitioner for complaints suggestive for a virus infection during the 1994/1995 respiratory infections season. Two patients remained C. pneumoniae PCR-positive for at least 4 weeks. All others were negative within 3 weeks. Double infections of C. pneumoniae and influenza virus (3/6), and of M. pneumoniae and respiratory syncytial virus (1/7) or rhinovirus (1/7) were diagnosed. During the 1992/1993 season, attempts to isolate C. pneumoniae in cell culture or to detect C. pneumoniae DNA by PCR using throat swabs were all negative for 80 patients with a sore throat, although serological data suggested a C. pneumoniae infection in 13 (16%) patients. A specimen from another patient of this group was M. pneumoniae PCR-positive and the corresponding serum specimens showed a persistent high antibody titre. In summary, the prevalence of acute C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae infections was less than 2% in patients consulting a general practitioner.
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Dagnelie
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: De Jong
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Vries
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Bestebroer
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Van Loon
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Bartelds
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ossewaarde
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution