Outbreak of acute respiratory disease caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae on board a deployed U.S. navy ship

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Joseph A Sliman1, David Metzgar, David C Asseff

  • 1Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit 6, Pearl Harbor, Hawai, USA.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology
|October 23, 2009
PubMed

Insights

A U.S. Navy ship experienced an outbreak of acute respiratory illness caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. This pathogen led to 179 infections, including 50 cases of pneumonia, over four months.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Deployed military vessels present unique challenges for disease control.
  • Respiratory illnesses can spread rapidly in close-quarters environments.
  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a known cause of community-acquired pneumonia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the first documented shipboard outbreak of Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
  • To identify the etiological agent responsible for an acute respiratory illness outbreak on a naval vessel.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of medical records from a deployed U.S. Navy vessel.
  • Identification of etiological agents through laboratory testing.
  • Clinical and radiographic confirmation of pneumonia cases.

Main Results:

  • 179 cases of acute respiratory illness were identified over 4 months.
  • 50 cases involved radiographically confirmed pneumonia.
  • Laboratory tests identified Mycoplasma pneumoniae as the causative agent.

Conclusions:

  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae can cause significant outbreaks of respiratory illness in confined maritime settings.
  • This outbreak highlights the importance of surveillance and control measures for respiratory pathogens on naval deployments.
  • Further research into shipboard transmission dynamics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae is warranted.

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