Mycoplasma and ureaplasma in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from immunocompromised hosts

The significance of Mycoplasma spp. and Ureaplasma urealyticum infection in immunocompromised patients has not been clearly established. We identified mycoplasma or ureaplasma in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from 12 of 61 (20%) immunocompromised patients with pulmonary infiltrates. A complete microbiological investigation was made on the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the sole agent detected in three instances, suggesting that it may have been the cause of the infiltrates in these immunocompromised patients. Other Mycoplasma spp. and ureaplasma were detected in nine patients, but in eight of these patients other pulmonary pathogens were also recovered.