Improvement of Mycoplasma pneumoniae –Associated Acute Cerebellar Ataxia and Possible Encephalopathy After Intravenous Immunoglobulin

Mycoplasma pneumoniae ( M. pneumoniae ) can cause acute postinfectious cerebellar ataxia and encephalitis/encephalopathy. Although ataxia can be self‐limited, prolonged duration of symptoms and long‐term neurological sequelae that persist for months or more are associated with both conditions. Multiple mechanisms have been suggested in the pathogenesis, but it seems that immune‐mediated damage plays a pivotal role. In this report, two children with community‐acquired pneumonia developed acute cerebellar ataxia (one with possible encephalopathy) associated with serologically confirmed M. pneumoniae, after having received antibiotics effective against M. pneumoniae . They improved rapidly after the administration of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), without any sequelae. The exact role of immunomodulatory treatment such as IVIG in decreasing the severity and duration of M. pneumoniae acute cerebellar ataxia and encephalitis/encephalopathy and the criteria for administration need to be further studied.