Variation in Colonization, ADP-Ribosylating and Vacuolating Cytotoxin, and Pulmonary Disease Severity among <i>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</i> Strains

Abstract

CARDS toxin concentrations in BAL are directly linked to the ability of specific M. pneumoniae strains to colonize, replicate, and persist, and elicit lung histopathology. This variation among strains may predict the range in severity of pulmonary disease observed among patients.