Isolation of Mycoplasma pneumoniae from synovial fluid samples in a patient with pneumonia and polyarthritis

Abstract
• A patient with a long history of arthritis developed pneumonia. Two weeks into her hospital course, the patient developed effusions in her knee and wrist that yielded cultures positive forMycoplasma pneumoniae. To our knowledge, this is the third reported case ofM pneumoniaeisolation from a joint and the first report of isolation ofM pneumoniaefrom two joints in a patient without hypogammaglobulinemia. The evidence suggests that in individuals with atypical pneumonia and joint effusions,M pneumoniaeshould be considered as a source of infection. (Arch Intern Med1988;148:969-970)