P18 Value of pneumococcal PCR in respiratory samples for exclusion of pneumococcal pneumonia

Risk factors for respiratory failure in pneumococcal pneumonia: the importance of pneumococcal serotypes.

Pneumococcal serotypes are one of the main determinants of pneumococcal disease severity; however, data about their implication in respiratory failure are scarce. We conducted an observational study of adults hospitalised with invasive pneumococcal pneumonia to describe the host- and pathogen-related factors associated with respiratory failure. Of 1258 adults with invasive pneumococcal disease,...

Value of sputum culture in diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia.

In our laboratory, culture of sputum was extremely useful in diagnosing the etiology of pneumococcal pneumonia. Of 31 consecutive patients with bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia, 29 (94%) had Streptococcus pneumoniae cultured from sputum. Recovery of pneumococci in culture was enhanced by anaerobic incubation as well as by a plate bile test and an optochin disk on a primary blood agar plate.

Molecular pathogenesis of pneumococcal pneumonia.

The past two decades have witnessed an explosion of data on the molecular pathogenesis of pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, one of the most important pathogens currently plaguing man. Identification and functional analysis of genes and their proteins, elucidation of mechanisms involved in adherence, colonization, inflammation, and invasion, and an understanding of interactions with ...

Penicillin dosing for pneumococcal pneumonia.

Most textbook authors still endorse penicillin G as the specific antibiotic of choice for pneumococcal pneumonia. However, problems with early precise etiologic diagnosis of pneumonia and the emergence of drug-resistant pneumococci cause penicillin to be seldom used for this purpose today. A third explanation for the infrequent use of penicillin is lack of clear consensus dosing guidelines. Eme...

Preventing Pneumococcal Pneumonia.