INFECTION WITH CHLAMYDIA-PNEUMONIAE IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN WITH ACUTE LOWER RESPIRATORY-TRACT DISEASE

The role of Chlamydia pneumoniae in the etiology of acute lower respir atory tract infections in infants and children is little understood. W e studied the prevalence of C. pneumoniae infection in hospitalized in fants and children with acute lower respiratory tract disease by cell culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme immunoassay and serol ogy. Of 290 patients with a mean age of 3.7 years, only 3 (1%) were id entified to be infected with C. pneumoniae. One child was positive in the cell culture as well as the PCR assay. Another infant was PCR-posi tive only and serologic evidence of infection was observed in a cultur e- and PCR-negative child. Chlamydia trachomatis was not detected in a ny patient specimen by either culture or PCR. Results of this study in dicate that C. pneumoniae plays a minor role in the etiology of respir atory tract infections in infants and young children.