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[Investigation of Chlamydia trachomatis pneumonia in children]
Y Takase1, T Khono, T Kinoshita
1Department of Pediatrics, Kousei General Hospital.
Insights
Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) may cause pneumonia in children over one year old. This study found evidence of C. trachomatis infection in young children with acute pneumonia.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
Background:
- Neonatal pneumonia due to Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is established.
- The role of C. trachomatis in causing pneumonia in children over one year of age remains uncertain.
Observation:
- A study investigated 183 children aged 1-5 years with acute pneumonia.
- Serologic tests (IgG, IgM antibodies) were performed on 73 children with persistent cough and wheezing.
- Cultures of nasopharyngeal swabs were analyzed for C. trachomatis.
Findings:
- Serologic evidence of acute C. trachomatis infection was found in 4 cases (2.2%).
- Specific inclusion bodies of C. trachomatis were identified in cultures from 2 cases (1.1%).
Implications:
- These findings suggest C. trachomatis may be an etiological agent of pneumonia in children over one year of age.
- Further research is warranted to confirm the role of C. trachomatis in pediatric pneumonia beyond the neonatal period.
Abstract:
A neonatal pneumonia caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is well-known. But it is uncertain whether C. trachomatis causes pneumonia in a patient over 1 year of age. Therefore, a search for serologic and cultural evidence of C. trachomatis infection in patients suffering from acute pneumonia over 1 year of age was made. We studied 183 children ages 1 to 5 year-old suffering from acute pneumonia admitted to Kousei General Hospital to assess the relation between acute pneumonia and C. trachomatis. We investigated the serologic evidence of acute C. trachomatis infections in 73 children with a persistent cough and wheezing, detecting specific IgG antibodies and IgM antibodies by microimmunofluorescence test. Serologic results signifying acute infection were observed in 4 cases (2.2%). Then we tried to isolate C. trachomatis from the cultures of nasopharyngeal swabs, specific inclusion bodies of C. trachomatis in 2 cases (1.1%) were found. Our study suggests that C. trachomatis might cause pneumonia in children over 1 year of age.