[Mycoplasma pneumoniae epidemic as zoonosis]

At a secondary school in Budapest, in the first class, 30 students became sick with fever and upper respiratory catarrhal symptoms between September 19 and October 31, 1995. Two children were hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia, in case of the two children treated at the Szent László Hospital, suspect of Mycoplasma infection raised which was also confirmed by cold agglutination test. During the epizootiological examination on the spot they found a terrarium in the classroom where the students raised a Syrian gold hamster family. Mycoplasmas were isolated from the lung samples of the hamsters during the pathological examination which proved to be Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Owing to the close etiologic relationships between epidemiological anamnesis, characteristics of the epidemic, as well as findings of patients and pathological or histological findings in the hamsters together with the results of bacteriological examinations, the epidemic should be considered as a zoonosis.