Fatal Encephalitis Caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae Diagnosed by the Polymerase Chain Reaction

The most frequent complications of infections due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae occur in the CNS. However, M. pneumoniae is rarely cultured from CSF. The lack of sensitivity of the culture technique for M. pneumoniae in comparison with the detection of the agent by PCR has been well-documented. It is, therefore, logical to apply the PCR assay for M. pneumoniae to CSF for the diagnosis of M. pneumoniae encephalitis. We describe a case of fatal encephalitis due to M. pneumoniae diagnosed during life by use of a PCR assay on CSF.