Pneumonia presenting with organ dysfunctions: Causative microorganisms, host factors and outcome.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a serious infection that may occasionally rapidly evolve provoking organ dysfunctions. We aimed to characterize CAP presenting with organ dysfunctions at the emergency room, with regard to host factors and causative microorganisms, and its impact on 30-day mortality. 460 of 4070 (11.

Age-related risk factors for bacterial aetiology in community-acquired pneumonia.

Background And Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of age and comorbidities, smoking and alcohol use on microorganisms in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Methods: A prospective multicentre study was performed with 4304 patients. We compared microbiological results, bacterial aetiology, smoking, alcohol abuse and comorbidities in three age groups: young adults (<45 years), adults (45-64 years) and seniors (>65 years).

Predictors of Severe Sepsis among Patients Hospitalized for Community-Acquired Pneumonia.

Background: Severe sepsis, may be present on hospital arrival in approximately one-third of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Objective: To determine the host characteristics and micro-organisms associated with severe sepsis in patients hospitalized with CAP.

Results: We performed a prospective multicenter cohort study in 13 Spanish hospital, on 4070 hospitalized CAP patients, 1529 of whom (37.

Sensitivity, Specificity, and Positivity Predictors of the Pneumococcal Urinary Antigen Test in Community-Acquired Pneumonia.

Rationale: Detection of the C-polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae in urine by an immune-chromatographic test is increasingly used to evaluate patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

Objectives: We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of this test in the largest series of cases to date and used logistic regression models to determine predictors of positivity in patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, prospective, observational study of 4,374 patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia.

Tobacco smoking increases the risk for death from pneumococcal pneumonia.

Background: Active smoking increases the risk of developing community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and invasive pneumococcal disease, although its impact on mortality in pneumococcal CAP outcomes remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of current smoking status on pneumococcal CAP mortality.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, prospective, observational cohort study in 4,288 hospitalized patients with CAP.

Pleural effusion Due to Streptococcus milleri: Case descriptions.

In this study we analyzed the characteristics of patients with pleural effusion secondary to Streptococcus milleri studied retrospectively between January and March 2013 and found seven patients with a mean age of 60 years, 43% of which were smokers and 57% with a drinking habit. The most common associated factors were alcoholism, previous pneumonia and diabetes. Other bacteria were identified as Enterobacter aerogenes, Bacteroides and Prevotella intermedia capillosus in two patients.

T-cell profiling and the immunodiagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: Factors associated with performance of interferon-γ release assays (IGRA) and the tuberculin skin test (TST) in screening for latent tuberculosis infection in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are still poorly understood. The influence of peripheral T-cell subset counts on the results also remain unclear.

Methods: Prospective single-center study in 205 patients with IBD.

Microbial aetiology of healthcare associated pneumonia in Spain: a prospective, multicentre, case-control study.

Introduction: Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is actually considered a subgroup of hospital-acquired pneumonia due to the reported high risk of multidrug-resistant pathogens in the USA. Therefore, current American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines suggest a nosocomial antibiotic treatment for HCAP. Unfortunately, the scientific evidence supporting this is contradictory.

Compliance with guidelines-recommended processes in pneumonia: impact of health status and initial signs.

Initial care has been associated with improved survival of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We aimed to investigate patient comorbidities and health status measured by the Charlson index and clinical signs at diagnosis associated with adherence to recommended processes of care in CAP. We studied 3844 patients hospitalized with CAP.

Guidelines for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia: predictors of adherence and outcome.

Rationale: Some studies highlight the association of better clinical responses with adherence to guidelines for empiric treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), but little is known about factors that influence this adherence.

Objectives: Our objectives were to identify factors influencing adherence to the guidelines for empiric treatment of CAP, and to evaluate the impact of adherence on outcome.

Methods: We studied 1,288 patients with CAP admitted to 13 Spanish hospitals.

Reaching stability in community-acquired pneumonia: the effects of the severity of disease, treatment, and the characteristics of patients.

Background: The natural history of the resolution of infectious parameters in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is not completely known. The aim of our study was to identify those factors related to host characteristics, the severity of pneumonia, and treatment that influence clinical stability.

Methods: In a prospective, multicenter, observational study, we observed 1424 patients with CAP who were admitted to 15 Spanish hospitals.

Immunodetection of pneumolysin in human urine by ELISA.

An ELISA test has been employed for the detection of pneumolysin (PLY) in urine from 14 pneumococcal pneumonia patients and from 11 healthy adult volunteers. The urines of all the 11 healthy adult volunteers developed signals around the mean of the blanks, whereas all the pneumococcal pneumonia patient urines rendered signals at least five times this mean. Chemiluminescent Western blot analyses of these urines, carried out with the PLY-specific rabbit polyclonal IgG preparation used in ELISA, were negative.