Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.
2002 Mar;12(1):44-50.
Microbiologic Analysis of Severe Childhood Pneumonia by Bronchoalveolar Lavage
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Pediatrics, Sunlin Hospital, College of Medicine, Handong University, Pohang, Korea.
- 2Department of Clinical Pathology, College of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
Abstract
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PURPOSE: Pneumonia is rather common and benign disease in children but its course is various. Many clinicians used the empirical antibiotics to treat pneumonia without identification of causative organism. This study was performed to find the pathogenic organism from the fluid culture by bronchoscopy with BAL (bronchoalveolar lavage) in severe pneumonia patients.
METHODS
We studied 21 cases (male 15, female 6) who were admitted with severe pneumonia in the Department of Pediatrics, Sunlin Hospital from March to October in 1999. These patients had no underlying disease such as immunologic deficiency. We took laboratory tests including CBC, CRP, ESR, PB smear, mycoplasmal antibody and blood culture at admission day. We performed bronchoscopy with BAL, and wet smear and culture of that fluid.
RESULTS
Organisms were cultured in nineteen cases out of 21 cases. Seven cases of Streptococcus mitis, five of Stenotrphomonas maltophilia, five cases of Streptococcus oralis, two of Moraxella species, two of Acinetobacter junii, one of Acinetobacter spesies, one Staphylococcus hominus, one alpha-h-Streptococcus, one Klebsiella pneumoniae, one Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one Enterobacter cloacae. Two organisms were cultured in nine cases.
CONCLUSION
The positive rate of BALF culture was very high (90.5%). But, further studies are necessary for the patients with severe pneumonia preceded the use of antibiotics.