Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common causative agent for childhood pneumonia. However, empyema is a rare presentation. We report a case of a previously well child who presented with a right-sided empyema. M. pneumoniae was confirmed serologically with evidence of a four-fold rise in Mycoplasma IgM titre. The empyema required drainage procedures for more than two weeks. The infection resolved with a course of six weeks of treatment with erythromycin.
Parkinsonism caused by infection is uncommon in children. We report 2 previously healthy children with acute self-limiting parkinsonism following Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, with normal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Our case report expands the phenotype of parkinsonism associated with M. pneumoniae infection. We recommend that children with acute parkinsonism preceded by a period of febrile illness, even with a normal brain MRI, should be investigated for M. pneumoniae infection.