Chlamydia pneumoniae Carriage and Infection in Hospitalized Children with Respiratory Tract Diseases

Abstract

Background:The importance of Chlamydia pneumoniae respiratory tract infection in childhood is under discussion. Patients and Methods: 798 hospitalized children with respiratory tract diseases were prospectively studied during a 2-year period by polymerase chain reaction and enzyme immunoassay (PCR-EIA) detection from throat swabs. Paired serum samples were used to screen for Chlamydia antibodies. Results: C. pneumoniae was detected by PCR-EIA in 74 children. Prevalence was 11% in lower and 4% in upper respiratory tract disease (p = 0.049) without age dependency. From November to February prevalence was elevated (42/277 vs. 32/521; p < 0.001). Using serology, prevalence of acute Chlamydia infection increased with age (p < 0.001) and the number of coinfections (p < 0.001), without seasonal variation.

Epidemiology and associations with climatic conditions of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae infections among Chinese children hospitalized with acute respiratory infections

“…pneumoniae infections, the 6.0% rate in children with ARTIs found in the present study is similar to the 6.7% (4/112) found in a study performed by Kurz et al [20] in Vienna, Austria, and lower than the 9.3% reported by Schmidt et al [21] for Greifswald, Germany. No seasonality or correlation with climatic conditions was found in our study.…”

“…pneumoniae and C . pneumoniae infections are most common in school-aged children, followed by children from 1 to 5 years old, but rare in infants [16,21-24]. In contrast, we found that M .…”

Chlamydophila PneumoniaeRespiratory Tract Infection Aggravates Therapy Refractory Bronchitis or Pneumonia in Childhood

“…If there is an influence on the disease, one would expect no seasonal variation in prevalence, since RCBP can be diagnosed across the whole year. In asymptomatic children and those with acute respiratory tract diseases, higher C. pneumoniae prevalence has been found between November and February, as well as in April [23,24]. In the population we studied, however, no seasonal variation in prevalence could be detected.…”

“…In the elderly it often exceeds 80 % [13]. This is not the consequence of a lower prevalence of C. pneumoniae infections in younger children, as there was no age-dependency in prevalence by using PCR-EIA in children with acute respiratory tract diseases [23] or kindergarten and school children [24]. To study the effect of C. pneumoniae infection on respiratory tract disease in children with RCBP, PCR-EIA has to be used, therefore.…”

“…Respiratory tract co-infection was common and found to be the most important modifier of bronchial C. pneumoniae infection. In PCR-EIA positive children hospitalized with acute respiratory tract diseases, a higher number of co-infections was found to be associated with a higher risk for a systemic immunological response, as characterized by a serologically acute infection [23]. One may hypothesize a C. pneumoniae respiratory tract infection to be more important in case of increasing number of co-infections.…”