Stevens-Johnson syndrome in a boy with macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia

Pediatrics. 2011 Jun;127(6):e1605-9. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-2624. Epub 2011 May 2.

Abstract

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a highly specialized parasitic bacterium that is a significant cause of community-acquired pneumonia in children. Although most such respiratory infections are mild, a minor percentage of patients require hospitalization and, occasionally, intensive treatment for respiratory failure. A variety of extrapulmonary sequelae of M pneumoniae infections have been described, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Macrolide resistance in M pneumoniae has developed rapidly in Asia, particularly in China, over the past decade and is now appearing in the United States. Emerging resistance to macrolides creates a therapeutic conundrum, particularly for pediatricians caring for young children in whom absolute or relative contraindications exist for the use of tetracyclines or fluoroquinolones, the 2 other main classes of drugs shown to be efficacious for M pneumoniae. We describe here the case of a child with a prolonged febrile illness associated with Stevens-Johnson-like mucocutaneous involvement who was found to have a respiratory infection with macrolide-resistant M pneumoniae.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Drug Resistance, Microbial*
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Macrolides / therapeutic use*
  • Male
  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae / isolation & purification*
  • Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / complications*
  • Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / drug therapy
  • Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / microbiology
  • Stevens-Johnson Syndrome / diagnosis
  • Stevens-Johnson Syndrome / etiology*

Substances

  • Macrolides