Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis in Iranian children with acute lower respiratory infections by polymerase chain reaction

ObjectiveTo determine the frequency of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae)and Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) in young children with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) and detect C. trachomatis in the subgroup of infants under 1 year of age in Tehran, Iran.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was designed to detect M. pneumoniae from all children (<5 years of age) presenting with CAP, admitted to a tertiary care children's hospital affiliated with the Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran during a period of 14 months, from November 2010 to December 2011. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 102 children during the study period. Pathogens were detected using polymerase chain reaction and confirmed with real-time polymerase chain reaction.ResultsOnly one case of M. pneumoniae was isolated from 102 children (1%). C. trachomatis was not detected in any of the 69 infants (<1 year of age).ConclusionsAccording to our findings, M. pneumoniae is an uncommon cause of CAP in children under 5 years old and C. trachomatis could not be listed as causing CAP in infants in our study population. However, more studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm this observation.