Outbreak of Acute Respiratory Disease Caused by <i>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</i> on Board a Deployed U.S. Navy Ship

Abstract

We identified 179 cases of acute respiratory illness including 50 cases of radiographically confirmed pneumonia over the course of 4 months on a deployed U.S. Navy vessel. Laboratory tests showed Mycoplasma pneumoniae to be the etiological agent. This report represents the first published description of a shipboard outbreak of this pathogen.