Table 2. The results of paired sera tested for Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae IgM and IgG antibodies a in patients with acute Q fever, scrub typhus, and murine typhus.
| Antibodies in the acute and convalescent phase | Acute Q fever (N=89) | Scrub typhus (N=34) | Murine typhus (N=12) | Total (N=135) | p f |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mycoplasma pneumoniae IgMb | |||||
| Seroconversion | 45 (50.6) | 3 (8.8) | 0 (0) | 48 (35.6) | <0.001 |
| Seroreversion | 3 (3.4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 3 (2.2) | 0.668 |
| Both positive | 8 (9.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 8 (5.9) | 0.151 |
| Both negative | 33 (37.1) | 31 (91.2) | 12 (100) | 76 (56.3) | <0.001 |
| Mycoplasma pneumoniae IgGc | |||||
| Seroconversion | 21 (23.6) | 8 (23.5) | 2 (16.7) | 31 (23.0) | 0.950 |
| Seroreversion | 1 (1.1) | 2 (5.9) | 2 (16.7) | 5 (3.7) | 0.018 |
| Both positive | 42 (47.2) | 9 (26.5) | 4 (33.3) | 55 (40.7) | 0.093 |
| Both negative | 25 (28.1) | 15 (44.1) | 4 (33.3) | 44 (32.6) | 0.245 |
| Chlamydophila pneumoniae IgMd | |||||
| Seroconversion | 15 (16.9) | 5 (14.7) | 4 (33.3) | 24 (17.8) | 0.372 |
| Seroreversion | 3 (3.4) | 1 (2.9) | 0 (0) | 4 (3.0) | 0.999 |
| Both positive | 7 (7.9) | 5 (14.7) | 2 (16.7) | 14 (10.4) | 0.313 |
| Both negative | 64 (71.9) | 23 (67.6) | 6 (50.0) | 93 (68.9) | 0.287 |
| Chlamydophila pneumoniae IgGe | |||||
| Seroconversion | 19 (21.3) | 8 (23.5) | 2 (16.7) | 29 (21.5) | 0.947 |
| Seroreversion | 7 (7.9) | 3 (8.8) | 0 (0) | 10 (7.4) | 0.776 |
| Both positive | 35 (39.3) | 18 (52.9) | 7 (58.3) | 60 (44.4) | 0.240 |
| Both negative | 28 (31.5) | 5 (14.7) | 3 (25.0) | 36 (26.7) | 0.160 |
a
Tested by ELISA (NovaTec Immundiagnostica GmbH, Germany).
b
Positive threshold for M. pneumoniae IgM is > 11 NTU (NovaTec-Units). The positive values ranged from 11.3 to 46.9 (median=15.8) NTU.
c
Positive threshold for M. pneumoniae IgG is > 11 NTU. The positive values ranged from 11.1 to 47.9 (median=17.3) NTU.
d
Positive threshold for C. pneumoniae IgM is > 11 NTU. The positive values ranged from 11.1 to 36.2 (median=15.8) NTU.
e
Positive threshold for C. pneumoniae IgG is > 11 NTU. The positive values ranged from 11.1 to 63.1 (median=21.3) NTU.
f
Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test between acute Q fever, scrub typhus, and murine typhus.