Neurological Syndromes and Mycoplasmal Infections

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Abstract
Since the report by Skoldenberg in 19651 which followed a few isolated case histories, and most recently the report by Rothstein and Kenny in the Archives,2 there has been increasing evidence to implicate Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in the causation of various neurological disease syndromes. The purpose of this commentary is to assess the validity of the associations that have been made, to suggest criteria that should be met in proving the relationship, and to examine the logic of the connection through speculation on possible pathogenetic mechanisms. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of human respiratory disease throughout the world. Using an attack rate of two cases of pneumonia per 1,000 population per year derived from several epidemiologic studies, it can be estimated that there are 400,000 episodes annually in the United States alone. Depending on the epidemiologic setting examined, M pneumoniae is responsible for between 20% and 50%

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