Serological diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections

A total of 193 serum samples from patients with clinical presentations suggestive of mycoplasma pneumoniae infections were investigated by complement fixation test (CFT) and indirect haemagglutination test (IHA); these included 40 (paired) sera of 20 acute and convalescing patients. A possible correlation between the clinical findings and serologic detection of antibody to M. pneumoniae in comparison to a healthy group of the same age was studied. Comparative testing showed that a rise in antibody titre to M. pneumoniae was detected earlier by the IHA test and the clinical findings correlated reasonably well with an increased antibody titre. The IHA test in view of ts simplicity, rapidity as well as easy of performance and relative sensitivity in the early detection of antibody to M. pneumoniae is a useful adjunct to the well established CF test for the routine serodiagnosis of M. pneumoniae infections.