Abstract

PEREZ, Iraní; GOMEZ, María  and  GONZALEZ RICO, Susana. Conventional diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumonia as causative agent of Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP). Rev. Soc. Ven. Microbiol. [online]. 2007, vol.27, n.2, pp.73-78. ISSN 1315-2556.

Abstract Communicable diseases. among them specifically pneumonia, constitute an important public health problem, and they appear among the ten most important causes of death at a world wide level, and in the ninth place of causes of death in Venezuela. Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is defined as that which occurs in non hospitalized patients during the seven days prior to diagnosis, or during the first 48 hours after internment in hospitalized patients. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the main etiological agents of CAP, occupying the second place in order of frequency. Pathogens implicated in extra-hospital pneumonia differ from those that produce hospital originated pneumonia and there is a notable difference regarding their frequency of occurrence and drug sensibility patterns; therefore, it is important to identify the causative agent. In this study we will revise the main conventional diagnostic methods (culture and serology) for this microorganism, and we will analyze their limitations, that often are consequence of empirically applied treatments

Keywords : Mycoplasma pnemoniae; Community Acquired Pneumonia; conventional diagnostic methods; culture; serology.