Abstract
The erythrocytes of children patients infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae are very hemolytic and abnormally shaped. It appears that the toxic substances of M. pneumoniae or M. pneumoniae itself effected on the erythrocyte membrane. The activity of Ca++ -ATPases and the contents of total sialic acid of the erythrocyte membrane (ghost) from patients were decreased by about 50%. And also the level of intracellular ATP was declined. In accordance with the recovery from illness, the activity of Ca++ -ATPase, the content of sialic acid and the level of ATP were increased to the level of the control. Whereas in the cases of mixed infection with Staphyro coccus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and RS virus, the activity of Ca++ -ATPases and the contents of total sialic acid had been recovered to the level of the control within a week or so, the ATP contents were less than that of the erythrocytes from patients infected with M. pneumoniae alone.
There must be different effects of their toxic substances between M. pneumoniae, bacteria and virus on the erythrocyte membrane.
