The Complement Fixation Test for Diagnosis of Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Infection

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“…Therefore the CF test and the rP1-ELISA showed the best agreement. The CF test measured antibodies to M. pneumoniae glycolipid antigen and can thus react with antigens of different origins [10,11,20]. However, this seems not to be a problem in the present study where serum samples from atypical pneumonia patients were tested.…”

“…PCR has also been used for the detection of M. pneumoniae [6-8]. The CF test has a limited value producing inconclusive results, because it also measures antibodies deriving from earlier infections [9], and the glycolipid antigen which is not M. pneumoniae specific cross reacts with antigens of different origin such as other microorganism and body tissues [10-12]. Since serology often is used for the diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infections, it is important to identify specific antigens, which can distinguish between previous and current infection and determine the presence or absence of antibodies.…”