Etiology and the challenge of diagnostic testing of community-acquired pneumonia in children and adolescents.

Background: Pneumonia is the leading cause of mortality in pediatric population. The etiology of pneumonia in this population is variable and changes according to age and disease severity and where the study is conducted. Our aim was to determine the etiology of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children aged 1 month to 17 years admitted to 13 Colombian hospitals.

Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Mu Variant Emergence and Spread in Colombia.

This cross-sectional study assesses the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Mu variant compared with other variants in Antioquia State, Columbia, from July 2020 to August 2021.

Acute Intrathoracic Tuberculosis in Children and Adolescents with Community-Acquired Pneumonia in an Area with an Intermediate Disease Burden.

Tuberculosis (TB) in the pediatric population is a major challenge. Our objective was to describe the clinical and microbiological characteristics, radiological patterns, and treatment outcomes of children and adolescents (from 1 month to 17 years) with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by TB. We performed a prospective cohort study of a pediatric population between 1 month and 17 years of age and hospitalized in Medellín, Colombia, with the diagnosis of radiologically confirmed CAP that had ≤ 15 days of symptoms.

Induced sputum as an adequate clinical specimen for the etiological diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children and adolescents.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the utility of induced sputum (IS) for the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in pediatric population.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included pediatric population aged between 1 month and 17 years who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of CAP in 13 hospitals in Colombia, in whom an IS sample was obtained. Gram staining, aerobic bacterial and mycobacterial culture tests, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for 6 atypical bacteria and 15 respiratory viruses were performed.

Is It Possible to Differentiate Pneumonia and Colonization in the Immunocompromised Patients with Pneumonia?

Respiratory sample staining is a standard tool used to diagnose pneumonia (PjP). Although molecular tests are more sensitive, their interpretation can be difficult due to the potential of colonization. We aimed to validate a (Pj) real-time PCR (qPCR) assay in bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and oropharyngeal washes (OW).

Current characteristics of tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus co-infection in a cohort of hospitalized patients in Medellín, Colombia.

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in HIV patients. It is unknown if the advent of molecular diagnostic methods and a greater availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in our country have changed some characteristics of the TB/HIV co-infection.

Objective: To describe the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, resistance patterns, tuberculosis drug effects and mortality in co-infected patients.

[Concordance between two methods of bronchoalveolar lavage for the microbiological diagnosis of pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients].

Introduction: Microbiological diagnosis of pneumonia allows the optimal use of antibiotics in mechanically ventilated patients. That is why samples of bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage had been quantitatively cultivated, but this procedure is not always possible.

Objective: To evaluate the microbiological concordance between respiratory samples obtained by non-bronchoscopic protected bronchoalveolar lavage compared to the bronchoscopic ones, and to find out whether concordance was affected by previous use of antibiotics or the time of pneumonia onset.

Diagnostic accuracy of bronchoalveolar lavage samples in immunosuppressed patients with suspected pneumonia: analysis of a protocol.

Background: Fast and accurate etiologic diagnosis of pneumonia in immunocompromised patients is essential for a good outcome. Utility of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples has already been established, but studies about them are scarce and limited to few countries. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of a diagnostic protocol, emphasizing on local epidemiology, rapidity, and yield of different techniques.