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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, June 2002, p. 2134-2140, Vol. 40, No. 6
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.6.2134-2140.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Pulmonary Infiltrates in Immunosuppressed Patients: Analysis of a Diagnostic Protocol

Cristina Danés,1 Julián González-Martín,1* Tomàs Pumarola,1 Ana Rañó,2 Natividad Benito,3 Antoni Torres,2 Asunción Moreno,3 Montserrat Rovira,4 and Jorge Puig de la Bellacasa1

Servei de Microbiologia, Institut Clínic d'Infeccions i Immunologia,1 Servei de Pneumologia i Al.lèrgia Respiratòria, Institut Clínic de Pneumologia i Cirurgia Toràcica,2 Servei de Malalties Infeccioses, Institut Clínic d'Infeccions i Immunologia,3 Servei d'Hematologia, Institut Clínic d'Hematologia i Oncologia, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques Agustí Pi i Sunyer, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain4

Received 30 April 2001/ Returned for modification 20 September 2001/ Accepted 6 March 2002

A diagnostic protocol was started to study the etiology of pulmonary infiltrates in immunosuppressed patients. The diagnostic yields of the different techniques were analyzed, with special emphasis on the importance of the sample quality and the role of rapid techniques in the diagnostic strategy. In total, 241 patients with newly developed pulmonary infiltrates within a period of 19 months were included. Noninvasive or invasive evaluation was performed according to the characteristics of the infiltrates. Diagnosis was achieved in 202 patients (84%); 173 patients (72%) had pneumonia, and specific etiologic agents were found in 114 (66%). Bronchoaspirate and bronchoalveolar lavage showed the highest yields, either on global analysis (23 of 35 specimens [66%] and 70 of 134 specimens [52%], respectively) or on analysis of each type of pneumonia. A tendency toward better results with optimal-quality samples was observed, and a statistically significant difference was found in sputum bacterial culture. Rapid diagnostic tests yielded results in 71 of 114 (62.2%) diagnoses of etiological pneumonia.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain. Phone: 34.3.2275522. Fax: 34.3.2279372. E-mail: jgm{at}medicina.ub.es.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, June 2002, p. 2134-2140, Vol. 40, No. 6
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.6.2134-2140.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Camps Serra, M., Cervera, C., Pumarola, T., Moreno, A., Perello, R., Torres, A., Jimenez de Anta, M. T., Marcos, M. A. (2008). Virological diagnosis in community-acquired pneumonia in immunocompromised patients. Eur Respir J 31: 618-624 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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