Article Text
Summary
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common respiratory pathogen which may cause haematological manifestations including haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopaenia. Severe neutropaenia is rare with very few cases reported in the literature. An 85-year-old man was transferred to our facility with agranulocytosis in the context of an infective exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with positive serological testing for M. pneumoniae. No alternative infective, autoimmune or lymphoproliferative cause of the neutropaenia was identified. Granulocyte autoantibody testing was performed with a positive result for neutrophil-bound IgG and IgM autoantibodies and significant agglutination reactions. The patient was treated with azithromycin and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor which resulted in a sustained resolution of his neutropaenia.
- haematology (incl blood transfusion)
- pneumonia (infectious disease)
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Footnotes
Contributors The case report was identified by NW. Review of the literature and initial draft by LB. GP drafted the section on anti-granulocyte-antibodies. Critical review and editing was provided by NW. The final manuscript was approved by all authors.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.