| Hives and Mycoplasma | |
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If your child has hives, fever, and cough, remind
your physician to think or test for possible mycoplasma infection. I
have have patient, a school age boy, whom I suspected mycoplasma
infection because of hives, fever, hand pain, and red throat.
Unfortunately, the parents don't want blood tests.
Infez Med. 2004 Jun;12(2):113-7.
Unusual manifestations of infections due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children.Infectious Disease Unit, Second Unit of Paediatrics and Laboratory of Clinical Chemical Analysis, "Giannina Gaslini" Children's Hospital, Genoa, Italy. Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) is an important cause of pneumonia in paediatric age, but also other organs or systems can be affected even without pulmonary involvement. The purpose of this study is to stress the unusual clinical features of Mp infection in children. A review of children affected with Mp infection with peculiar pulmonary and/or extra-pulmonary forms is reported. Diagnosis of Mp infection was always confirmed by serum anti-Mp antibody assay. Two patients with infection of the lower airways showed severe respiratory distress; nine cases with only extra-pulmonary manifestations presented urticaria and arthralgia; three patients had severe neuromuscular impairment, one of these resulting in flaccid tetraparesis; one 2-year-old child had anicteric hepatitis, without any sequelae; one case of a 6-year-old child presented severe haemolytic anaemia, and a 5-year-old child with Schonlein-Henoch purpura. In conclusion, Mp infection, a frequent cause of pneumonia at all paediatric ages, may also give rise to extrapulmonary manifestations. Frequently, muscular-articular or neurological systems, skin or other organs are involved. Clinical suspicion of Mp infection is essential in severe cases and the outcome of all pulmonary and/or extra-pulmonary manifestations depends on early diagnosis and specific therapy.
Presse Med.
2004 Nov 6;33(19 Pt 2):1365
[Cutaneous vasculitis revealing a Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection]
[Article in French]
Service de dermatologie, Hopital St Louis, Paris (75). vincent.orlandini@chu-bordeaux.fr INTRODUCTION: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a bacterial agent that must be evoked when confronted with cutaneous vasculitis, notably within a context of fever and inflammation, and despite the absence of respiratory symptoms. OBSERVATION: A young 16 year-old boy was hospitalised for cutaneous vasculitis with fever but without respiratory symptoms. A recent M. pneumoniae sero-conversion was revealed. DISCUSSION: M. pneumoniae is an intra-cellular pathogen responsible for 20 to 35% of community-acquired pneumonia in adults. The absence of respiratory symptoms in M. pneumoniae infection is not uncommon. Extra-pulmonary complications of M. pneumoniae infections are frequent and varied, notably dermatological. Cutaneous vasculitis associated with M. pneumoniae is seldom found in the medical literature. It is reported as immune-complex -mediated vasculitis or Henoch-Schonlein purpura. Cutaneous eruptions are dominated by maculo-papular rashes and multiform erythema. |
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