Antibody Response in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis to Mycoplasma Pneumoniae

Leinikki, P., Pantzar, P. & Tykkä, H. Antibody response in patients with acute pancreatitis to Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Scand. J. Gastroent. 1973, 8, 631-635. Paired sera from 56 patients with acute pancreatitis were studied to detect signs of viral or mycoplasma infection during the illness. In 18 patients a significant increase in titres with chloroform-extracted Mycoplasma pneu-moniae (Mp) antigen could be demonstrated. In 28 patients constant or negative titres were observed, and 10 had variable results from test to test. The clinical picture of pancreatitis was similar in both Mp-positive and Mp-negative groups. The absence of epidemiological fluctuation in the incidence of acute pancreatitis, and the absence of respiratory illness in these patients rebut the hypothesis that Mp would play an essential role in the disease. The lack of very high CF-titres and the variable behaviour in some of the sera would rather suggest an antigenic stimulus by some related mycoplasma or tissue component of pancreatic origin.