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Of 91 children and adults with lower respiratory tract infection, 17 (18.7%) had evidence of infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae. Infection was more common in older adolescents and adults than in children. Only 3 of 8 culture-positive patients with paired sera had serologic evidence of acute infection. Two patients were culture positive over a 12-month period. Two other culture-positive patients had evidence of coinfection with other bacterial respiratory tract pathogens, which in these cases appeared to be responsible for the acute episode of pneumonia. Patterns of infection ranged from acute pneumonia to apparent chronic asymptomatic carriage, and there was no characteristic clinical presentation. Studies using cultures in other populations, including asymptomatic individuals, are needed for a better understanding of the epidemiology and clinical relevance of this organism. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Serologic diagnosis of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection has been based on the microimmunofluorescence test (MIF). However, recent prospective studies in children have found that >50% infected with C. pneumoniae failed to develop any antibodies detectable by MIF. In this study, single sera from 46 culture-positive and 42 culture-negative children with respiratory infection and known MIF status were examined by immunoblotting. Forty-one (89.1%) of the single sera from culture-positive and 27 (64.3%) from culture-negative children reacted to C. pneumoniae antigens in immunoblot. C. pneumoniae proteins most frequently recognized by sera from culture-positive patients were at 101–102, 72–76, 50–52, 48–49, 43–44, 41–42, and 30–31 kDa. However, there did not appear to be a correlation of specific band patterns and culture status. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To further investigate a proposed relationship between Chlamydia pneumoniae and coronary heart disease, coronary atheromas were collected from patients undergoing percutaneous atherectomy. Fifty-eight atheroma specimens were examined by culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 22 by electron microscopy. All were negative for C. pneumoniae, except a single specimen that was PCR-positive. These results differ from studies in other populations, in which this organism was identified by nonculture methods within coronary atheromas obtained at autopsy. Anti-C. pneumoniae antibody titers from 65 of the patients were compared with those of 28 asymptomatic controls. IgG titers were higher in controls than in patients. There is no evidence that C. pneumoniae exists within atheromas in this study population, nor does seroprevalence correlate with the presence of coronary disease in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Examines the association between Kawasaki disease (KD) and Chlamydia pneumoniae. Clinical and epidemiological features of KD; Microimmunofluoresence (MIF) serology and immunoblotting; Reactivity in the pre-intravenous immunoglobulin.