A prospective study of Chlamydia pneumoniae antibodies in children between 7 months and 8 years of age.

To provide insight into the appearance and longitudinal course of Chlamydia pneumoniae antibodies in childhood, C. pneumoniae immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA and, in selected children, IgM antibodies were measured annually in 199 healthy children, followed prospectively from age 7 months to age 8 y (number of samples 1225) using a commercial enzyme immunoassay kit. IgG antibodies to C. pneumoniae were common throughout the follow-up, and the values declined rapidly after apparent infections during early childhood. Of the 128 identified seroconversions, 94 were probably primary infections and 34 reinfections. IgM antibodies were detected in 28% of the samples that showed a clear increase in IgG. IgA antibodies were scarce before 2 y of age, but their proportion then increased gradually. At the ages of 7 and 8 y, 10% of the children had clearly positive IgG and IgA antibody values. Increases in IgG were not associated with clinical respiratory symptoms. This study shows that C. pneumoniae infections probably occur commonly already at an early age, and that the infections are often asymptomatic. Consecutive high IgG and IgA antibody concentrations at the ages of 7 and 8 y indicate that persistent seropositivity for both antibodies may already develop in young children.