The influence of serum from patients infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae on the osmotic property of normal human erythrocytes.

Abstract Venous blood sera from children infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) responded with a high titer to MP antibodies, affected healthy normal erythrocytes in vitro , and gave rise to changes in erythrocyte osmotic fragility. When serum was inactivated at 56°C for 30 min or preincubated with anti-human C1 esterase inhibitor, the changes in the osmotic properties were suppressed at the lower level. The total sialic acid content and the intracellular ATP concentration of the treated erythrocytes were analyzed.