Epidemiology
Studies of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection published during the 1990s found the organism to be associated with 6% to 22% of lower respiratory tract infections in children and adults, varying with the population studied and diagnostic methods used.[1] The proportion of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children and adults associated with C pneumoniae infection in the last 5 years has ranged from 0% to 44.2%, again varying with age and geographical location of the population examined and diagnostic methods used.[1] The diagnosis of C pneumoniae infection in most studies was based on serology alone; some was based on PCR alone; some used serology and PCR; and only 2 studies used culture in combination with serology or PCR. The proportion of CAP attributed to C pneumoniae is generally lower in studies published after 2000, which might be due to the use of PCR as a diagnostic technique. In four studies published after 2010, from geographically diverse areas, the prevalence of C pneumoniae infection ranged from 0% to 3.8%.[2] The prevalence rate of infection in children beyond infancy is similar to adults, based on the results of studies using culture or PCR assay for diagnosis.[1]
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