Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Septicemia

To the Editor.— Because we have been unable to find a case report of isolation ofMycoplasma pneumoniaefrom blood, we report the following. Report of a Case.— The patient, a man aged 71 years, fell ill, complaining of sore throat followed by pain and swelling of his large joints. After the tenth day of illness, mitral valve incompetence appeared, followed by brief episodes of atrial flutter and of bundle-branch block. On the 17th day, a small right-sided diaphragmatic effusion was diagnosed. Clinically, the case resembled acute rheumatic fever with concomitant pericarditis and pleuropneumonia. The patient died on the 26th day. The pertinent postmortem findings were as follows: massive serofibrinous pericarditis; enlarged heart (500 gm, including fibrinous exudate); no gross valvular lesion; minimal atheroma of coronary arteries; soft myocardium but no infarction; massive bilateral (about 1 liter each side) serofibrinous pleuritis; small areas of consolidation in lungs; slight right subdiaphragmatic