Fatal Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection With Isolation of Organisms From Lung

Abstract

Acute hemolytic anemia associated with cold agglutinins, hypercoagulability of the blood, and multiple organ thromboembolism and infarction caused the death of a 70-year-old woman with atypical pneumonia of three weeks' duration. Central nervous system involvement was present. At autopsy, Mycoplasma pneumoniae was cultured directly from lung tissue and bronchial lymph nodes on artificial medium. Intravascular hemolysis and thrombosis were directly related to infection with M pneumoniae which apparently did not respond to late administration of ordinarily adequate doses of tetracycline and corticosteroids.