[Current infection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in adults: clinical analysis of 13 hospitalized patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) current infection in adults. METHODS: The clinical data of 13 patients in Beijing, 7 males and 6 females, aged 21.9 (17 - 34), hospitalized from April 2003 to April 2004, were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Seven of the 13 patients were the schoolmates of the same military school, 3 being in the same class but not living in the same dormitory, 3 being hospitalized with an interval of 5 days and 2 with an interval of 2 days. A 4-fold or higher titer rise was found 16 - 17 days after the onset of symptoms. Six cases showed antibody negative at the first visit (2 - 8 days after the onset). The most common symptoms included fever (13/13), cough (11/13), mild headache (5/13), and sore throat (5/13). No symptoms of sneeze, nasal obstruction, skin rash, and ear pain were found. There was no leukocytosis. Ten patients had pneumonia confirmed by X-ray examination. Appropriate macrolide plus quinolones were effective in the treatment. However, there was no significant difference between the curative effect of erythromycin and that of azithromycin. CONCLUSION: MP mainly attacks young people and mainly causes pneumonia. Extrapulmonary complication is rare. It is not advisable to use a single high antibody titer as the criterion for diagnosis of MP current infection.