Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 4, 2026

Antigen-Capture Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Specific Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae
06:04

Antigen-Capture Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Specific Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Published on: February 24, 2023

[Acute transverse myelitis associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in an eight year old boy]

N Dallot1, L de Pontual, J Guilbert

  • 1Service de pédiatrie, hôpital Jean-Verdier, avenue du 14-Juillet, 93143, Bondy cedex, France. loic.de-pontual@jvr.ap-hop-paris.fr

Medecine Et Maladies Infectieuses
|May 10, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Mycoplasma pneumoniae can cause rare neurological conditions like acute transverse myelitis. This case highlights M. pneumoniae involvement in a child

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common respiratory pathogen.
  • Extrapulmonary manifestations of M. pneumoniae infections are increasingly recognized.
  • Neurological complications associated with M. pneumoniae are rare but significant.

Observation:

  • A case study of an eight-year-old child presenting with acute transverse myelitis.
  • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed M. pneumoniae in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
  • Specific IgM antibodies against M. pneumoniae were detected in the patient's blood.

Findings:

  • The findings suggest a direct or indirect role of M. pneumoniae in causing acute transverse myelitis.
  • The exact mechanisms of M. pneumoniae-induced neurological damage are not fully understood, but immune responses are implicated.
  • Corticosteroid therapy demonstrated efficacy in treating the acute myelitis.

Implications:

  • This case expands the spectrum of known M. pneumoniae-related neurological disorders.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the pathogenesis of M. pneumoniae neuro-infections.
  • The findings support considering M. pneumoniae in the differential diagnosis of acute transverse myelitis, particularly in children.

Related Concept Videos

Pulmonary Tuberculosis III01:31

Pulmonary Tuberculosis III

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infection primarily affecting the lung parenchyma but which can also affect other body parts. TB can be classified based on disease development, presentation, and the affected anatomical site.
The first classification is based on the development of the disease, and it includes the following categories:
Atypical Pneumonia01:14

Atypical Pneumonia

Atypical pneumonia, often caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, is a form of pulmonary infection that differs from the classical presentation of bacterial pneumonia in both its cause and clinical symptoms. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a pleomorphic bacterium notable for its lack of a rigid cell wall. This structural characteristic imparts resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics and significantly influences the bacterium’s behavior within the human host.Other pathogens responsible for the disease include...
Viral Meningitis01:18

Viral Meningitis

Viral meningitis is the most common form of meningitis and is often referred to as aseptic meningitis to indicate the absence of bacterial involvement. It is generally milder than bacterial meningitis, with symptoms including fever, headache, stiff neck, drowsiness, nausea, photophobia, and vomiting. Rarely, more severe manifestations or death may occur. Common causative agents include enteroviruses, particularly coxsackie A and B viruses and echoviruses, all members of the Enterovirus genus...
Poliomyelitis01:17

Poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis is caused by poliovirus, a small, non-enveloped, positive-sense RNA virus of the Picornaviridae family and Enterovirus genus. Transmission occurs primarily via the fecal-oral route, often through ingestion of contaminated water or food. The virus initially replicates in the oropharynx and intestinal mucosa, particularly in lymphoid tissues such as the tonsils, Peyer’s patches, and regional lymph nodes. Primary viremia follows, allowing dissemination throughout the body.In most...
Toxoplasmosis01:28

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
Bacterial Meningitis I: Introduction01:22

Bacterial Meningitis I: Introduction

Bacterial meningitis is a severe, life-threatening inflammation of the meninges, particularly the pia mater and arachnoid mater, affecting the subarachnoid space, ventricles, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). If untreated, it can lead to significant neurological complications or death.Causative AgentsCommon pathogens vary with age and immune status. In adults, major organisms include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae. Streptococcus agalactiae (group B...