Investigar la presencia y determinar la importancia de Chlamydia pneumoniae y Mycoplasma pneumoniae como copatógenos de las neumonías comunitarias en la infancia.

Estudio retrospectivo descriptivo, de todos los casos diagnosticados de neumonía por M. pneumoniae en menores de 15 años, en el servicio de urgencias de pediatría, en el período comprendido entre mayo de 1998 y mayo de 2000, investigando aquellos casos en los que se pudo demostrar la coexistencia con C. pneumoniae.

Sobre un total de 242 neumonías diagnosticadas durante este período de tiempo, 84 fueron causadas por M. pneumoniae (34,7 %) y 32 por C. pneumoniae (13,22 %); de ellas, 8 casos presentaron coinfección por C. pneumoniae y M. pneumoniae. Existió predominio en el sexo masculino 5/8, con una edad media al diagnóstico de 7,7 años. No hubo predominio estacional.

Tanto C. pneumoniae como M. pneumoniae son responsables de Neumonía Adquirida en la Comunidad en niños mayores de 5 años. A pesar del hecho de que las coinfecciones por C. pneumoniae y M. pneumoniae se acompañan normalmente de agravamiento en el curso de la enfermedad, todos los casos estudiados evolucionaron satisfactoriamente.

To investigate the presence Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae and to determine their importance as the cause of community-acquired pneumonia in childhood.

We performed a retrospective descriptive study of all the patients aged less than 15 years old diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia due to M. pneumoniae in the pediatric emergency department of our hospital between May 1998 and May 2000. Patients in whom C. pneumoniae was also identified as a cause of pneumonia were investigated.

Of 242 cases of community-acquired pneumonia, 82 were due to M. pneumoniae (34.7 %) and 32 were due to C. pneumoniae (13.22%). Of these, eight cases were coinfections with C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae. Most infections occurred in boys (5/8). The mean age at diagnosis was 7.7 years. No seasonal predominance was found.

Both C. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae play a substantial role in community-acquired pneumonia in children aged more than 5 years old. Although coinfection with both species usually worsens the course of the disease, outcome in all the patients studied was satisfactory.