Low Prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae in Community-Acquired Pneumonia

The incidence of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) due to Chlamydia pneumoniae was determined in a prospective study of 546 adult patients with CAP included in the German CAP Competence Network (CAPNETZ) project. Three different PCR protocols for detection of C. pneumoniae in respiratory specimens were compared by a multicenter, inter-laboratory comparison involving three laboratories. PCR results were correlated with the results of antibody testing. Clinical and laboratory characteristics of PCR-positive patients were analyzed. If a case is defined as a patient with a respiratory sample positive by PCR in at l…