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  • Improvement of pneumococcal pneumonia diagnostics by the use of rt-PCR on plasma and respiratory samples.
    Špik, Vesna, 1976- ...
    Background: The aim of the study was to assess the performance of a real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) assay on plasma and respiratory samples for the diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia. ... Methods: Three hundred and forty patients (160 children and 180 adults) with community-acquired pneumonia were included prospectively from January 2011 to May 2012. Blood samples were obtained simultaneously for culture and rt-PCR targeting the lytA gene. Respiratory samples were also obtained: nasopharyngeal swab in nearly all patients and sputum or tracheal aspirate when available. Results: Streptococcus pneumoniae was detected in 222 (65%) of 340 patients: 143 (89%) children and 79 (44%) adults. Pneumonia was assigned as definite pneumococcal in 96 (28.2%) of 340 patients, according to S. pneumoniae detected in blood: in 54 (33.8%) children - by rt-PCR in 51 (31.9%) and by culture in 5 (3.1%); and in 42 (23.3%) adults - by rt-PCR in 41 (22.8%) and by culture in 12 (6.7%). Pneumonia was considered as probably pneumococcal in 19 (10.6%) adults according to S. pneumoniae detected in sputum/tracheal aspirate, by rt-PCR in 19 and by culture in 5. In 18 adults and 89 children with S. pneumoniae detected only in the nasopharynx, pneumonia was considered as possibly pneumococcal; however it should be noted that nasopharyngeal colonization with S. pneumoniae is also common in children with other aetiologies of pneumonia. Conclusions: rt-PCR on plasma and other samples performed significantly better than culture for the detection of pneumococcal pneumonia (p < 0.0005) in children and adults.
    Source: Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases. - ISSN 0036-5548 (Vol. 45, iss. 10, Oct. 2013, str. 731-737)
    Type of material - article, component part
    Publish date - 2013
    Language - english
    COBISS.SI-ID - 30822873
    DOI