Korean J Infect Dis.  1999 Jun;31(3):197-202.

Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae by Use of the Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction in Children with Lower Respiratory Tract Infection

• Park SE
• Choi SE
• Jung HS
• Kwak YH
• Lee HJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia pneumoniae is a common cause of respiratory tract infection in adults, but little is known about its role in acute respiratory tract infection in children. The aim of this study was to detect C. pneumoniae by use of the nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) in Korean children with acute lower respiratory tract infection.
METHODS
This study included 95 nasal aspirates obtained from children of 3 years of age or older with acute lower respiratory tract infection admitted to the Seoul National University Children's Hospital from January 1993 through December 1997. They were all negative by culture for RSV, adenovirus, influenza A and B, parainfluenza 1, 2, and 3. The nPCR was performed by use of two primer pairs (HL-1/HR-1, HM-1/HR-2). After amplification, PCR products were digested with Rsa I to confirm the sequence.
RESULTS
C. pneumoniae was detected in one sample taken from an 11-year-old girl. She was referred with fever and productive cough for 10 days and she was revealed to have systemic lupus erythematosus and pneumonia. Her chest radiograph showed a left lower lobe infiltrate. Her fever and cough resolved slowly over 15 days without proper antibiotic therapy for C. pneumoniae.
CONCLUSION
This study reveals C. pneumoniae as a cause of pneumonia in Korean children. Further studies are required to reveal the epidemiology and the role of C. pneumoniae in respiratory infection in Korean children.

Keyword

Chlamydia pneumoniae; Polymerase chain reaction; Pneumonia

MeSH Terms

Adenoviridae
Adult
Child*
Chlamydia*
Chlamydophila pneumoniae*
Cough
Epidemiology
Female
Fever
Humans
Influenza, Human
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
Paramyxoviridae Infections
Pneumonia
Polymerase Chain Reaction*
Radiography, Thoracic
Respiratory System*
Respiratory Tract Infections*
Seoul