Measles pneumonia. Bacterial suprainfection as a complicating factor
R. W. Olson and G. R. Hodges
During a 3 1/2-month period, 32 previously healthy young men were first
seen typical prodromal symptoms and signs of measles. On admission or
within 48 hours of admission, 16 patients (50%) manifested physical signs
and roentgenographic evidence of pneumonia. Of these 16 patients, ten (63%)
were found to have bacterial suprainfection or colonization confirmed by
culture of transtracheal aspirates. From six of these ten patients,
Neisseria meningitidis serogroup Y was isolated as the sole organism
responsible for suprainfection. In the other patients, Haemophilus species,
Neisseria species (not N gonorrheae or N meningitidis), Streptococcus
pneumoniae, and beta-hemolytic Streptococcus (not group A or D were
isolated alone or in combination. The data suggest that bacterial
supra-infection associated with measles pneumonia is not unusual in adults
and N meningitidis serogroup Y is a potential pathogen of the lower
respiratory tract.
