Psychosis and mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Abstract

Mycoplasma pneumoniae has long been recognized as an important agent of respiratory infections in humans. Less well known is the variety of extrapulmonary conditions associated with M. pneumoniae (Cassel, 1981; Ponka, 1979; Levine, 1978). The most common of these are central nervous system (CNS) complications (Lind, 1979) including meningitis, encephalitis, cranial nerve palsies, ascending paralysis (Guillain-Barre-like), transverse myelitis, cerebellar ataxia, polyradiculitis and acute psychosis. This paper describes a woman who developed an acute psychosis in the setting of a M. pneumoniae respiratory infection.