Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in Australian children.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the epidemiology, clinical features and outcome of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in children presenting to a tertiary children's hospital.


METHODS
Sixty-three month retrospective review of serologically diagnosed M. pneumoniae infections.


RESULTS
There were 76 children, 42 boys and 34 girls, mean age 6.3 +/- 3.5 years. The age group most commonly affected was 5-9 years, followed by children 1-5 years. More than half of the patients had failed to respond to antibiotics before referral. The commonest presentation was with cough and fever. Coryza, diarrhoea, vomiting, tachypnoea and recession were significantly more common in children less than 5 years than in children 5-15 years. Hospitalized patients were more likely than non-hospitalized patients to have respiratory distress with recession and wheeze. Radiographic findings were non-specific. Thrombocytosis was found in 29 (41.4%) of 70 children studied.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical features of M. pneumoniae infection were different in children less than 5 years than in children aged 5-9 years. The presence of thrombocytosis in 40% of the cases has not previously been reported in children.
Othman
N
N
Department of Virology and Microbiology, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
Isaacs
D
D
Kesson
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents