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Pneumonitis associated with Ureaplasma urealyticum in children with cancer

Steven C Buckingham1, Dennis T Crouse, Katherine M Knapp

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA. sbuckingham@utmem.edu

Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
|January 11, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Ureaplasma urealyticum was identified in three pediatric cancer patients with pneumonitis. Early macrolide antibiotic treatment may improve outcomes in immunocompromised patients with similar infections.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pulmonology

Background:

  • Pneumonitis in immunocompromised pediatric cancer patients often presents with unclear etiology.
  • Early diagnosis and targeted therapy are crucial for improving outcomes in this vulnerable population.

Observation:

  • Three pediatric cancer patients presented with clinical and radiographic signs of pneumonitis.
  • Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cultures from these patients identified Ureaplasma urealyticum.

Findings:

  • Two of the three patients diagnosed with Ureaplasma urealyticum-associated pneumonitis did not survive.
  • The surviving patient showed clinical improvement that temporally correlated with erythromycin administration.

Implications:

  • Ureaplasma urealyticum should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pneumonitis in immunocompromised pediatric cancer patients.
  • Culturing respiratory secretions for mycoplasmas and initiating empiric macrolide antibiotic therapy are recommended for suspected cases.

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