Journal of medical microbiology
-
Chlamydia pneumoniae is a frequent causative agent of acute respiratory disease. To assess whether C. pneumoniae plays a role in persistent cough, the prevalence of C. pneumoniae infection in adult patients with persistent cough was investigated. Nasopharyngeal swabs and serology samples from 366 adult patients with a persistent cough lasting in excess of 2 weeks and 106 control subjects were analysed for bacterial isolation and by PCR. ⋯ However, when patients were treated with clarithromycin for 5-6 weeks, their symptoms disappeared completely and the results of their cultures and/or PCR for C. pneumoniae became negative. These data suggest that C. pneumoniae infection may cause persistent cough in adults. Furthermore, these data also indicate that it may be necessary to eradicate the organism when C. pneumoniae is detected by culture and/or PCR in patients with persistent cough.