Is there an association between Kawasaki disease and Chlamydia pneumoniae?

The clinical and epidemiological features of Kawasaki disease (KD) are cons istent with an infectious cause. Because chronic infection with Chlamydia p neumoniae has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, it ha s been suggested that it may also be involved in the pathogenesis of KD, Pa ired sera (baseline pretreatment and 1 year after treatment with intravenou s immunoglobulin [IVIG]) from 26 children with KD and 29 age-matched contro ls were examined by microimmunofluorescence (MIF) serology and immunoblotti ng, There were no significant differences in the prevalence of anti-C, pneu moniae IgG, IgA, or IgM between cases and controls; however, 73%-85% of ser a from cases and controls reacted with C, pneumoniae proteins by immunoblot ting, There was significantly more reactivity in the pre-IVIG, but not post -IVIG, KD sera compared with sera from controls to proteins at 72-74 kDa an d 74-76 kDa, They may be heat shock proteins. The results of this study do not support an association between KD and C. pneumoniae on the basis of MIF and immunoblot analysis.