General

Synonym/Acronym:
Mycoplasma serology.

Rationale
To identify and confirm the presence of viral infections such as found in atypical pneumonia.

Patient Preparation
There are no food, fluid, activity, or medication restrictions unless by medical direction.

Normal Findings
(Method: Patient serum containing autoantibodies titered against type O red blood cells [RBCs] at 2°C to 8°C. Type O cells are used because they have no antigens on the cell membrane surface. Agglutination with patient sera would not occur because of reaction between RBC blood type antigens and patient blood type antibodies.) Negative: Single titer less than 1:32 or less than a fourfold increase in titer over serial samples. High titers may appear spontaneously in older adult patients and persist for many years.

Critical Findings and Potential Interventions
N/A