Chlamydia pneumoniae infections, known to be very prevalent in many countries, are not reported in Korea to the best of our knowledge. Prevalence of antibodies against C. pneumoniae was determined by the micro-immunofluorescence test. The
proportion of
sera with antibody titers of ≥16, tested by polyvalent conjugate of IgG, IgM and IgA (poly-Ig) were blood donor 76.8%, blood chemistry-tested patients 58.0% and Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibody-tested patients 22.0%. The positive rates by age
groups
were
≤9 years 13.5%, 10-9 years 66.7% and over all 49.6%. Only three sera showed IgM antibody titer of≥16, which became negative after absorption with RF-absorbent. Poly-Ig against C. trachomatis was less prevalent and that against Legionella
pneumophila
rare. None of the sera at 1:8 dilution were positive for the poly-Ig against Coxiella burnetii. It is concluded that the Poly-Ig antibody against C. pneumoniae are highly prevalent in the sera of Koreans suggesting the existence of the infection,
and
for the diagnosis of the infection, the same interpretation criteria of the MIF titer, which is used in other countries, can also be applied in Korea.
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