SURVEY OF MYCOPLASMAL BACTEREMIA DETECTED IN CHILDREN BY POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

To determine whether mycoplasmal bacteremia occurs during ordinary or complicated diseases due to M. pneumoniae (and if so, how frequently), we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect M. pneumoniae in se rum samples. The PCR primers used were modified for nested amplificati on. The genome of this organism was detected in 1 of the 25 patients w ith pneumonia and 10 of the 17 patients without pneumonia (P < .001, c hi(2) test). The genome was detected more frequently in patients who h ad encephalitis of which the neurological onset was within 7 days of t he onset of fever rather than later. We hypothesize that mycoplasmal b acteremia occurs more frequently than previously appreciated, specific ally in the absence of pneumonia, and that certain types of complicati ons (e.g., encephalitis of early onset) are associated with its occurr ence.