Re: Fungal colonization in patients with chronic respiratory ...

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I cant concentrate to read long posts sorry

In a message dated 9/20/2010 12:20:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

tigerpaw2c@... writes:

Fungal colonization in patients with chronic respiratory diseases from

Himalayan region of India

_http://7thspace.com/headlines/357745/fungal_colonization_in_patients_with_c

hronic_respiratory_diseases_from_himalayan_region_of_india.html_

(http://7thspace.com/headlines/357745/fungal_colonization_in_patients_with_chron\

ic_resp

iratory_diseases_from_himalayan_region_of_india.html)

We screened patients with chronic respiratory diseases for microbiological

and serological evidences of fungal colonisation; in order to determine

its prevalence in this group of patients, examine potential clinical and

radiological predictors of fungal colonisation and characterise fungal agents

associated with individual diseases.

Methods: BAL samples from 60 consecutive patients were subjected to

microscopy and culture for fungal agents. Serum samples were analysed for

precipitin antibodies to Aspergillus antigen and Candida cytoplasmic antigen.

Statistical significance in the difference of fungal recovery between

patient groups was determined using the Chi-square test.

Results: The major diagnostic groups included patients with bronchogenic

carcinoma (n=31) and tubercular sequelae (n=16). In all, 28 patients (46.7%)

were culture-positive, with Candida and Aspergillus being recovered from

14 and 13 patients respectively.

Twenty-one patients (35%) showed presence of precipitin antibodies.

Patients with bronchogenic carcinoma showed increased predilection for

colonisation with Aspergillus, while Candida was recovered more commonly in

tubercular sequelae (p=0.02).

There was no statistically significant association between

culture-positivity and specific risk factors/ radiological findings.

Conclusion: The point-prevalence of fungal colonization was almost 50%.

The combination of fungal culture and serology helped improve diagnostic

sensitivity.

An interesting predilection was observed for Aspergillus and Candida, to

preferentially infect patients with Bronchogenic carcinoma and Tubercular

sequelae respectively. In absence of specific predictors, the possibility of

fungal colonization needs to be explored actively in these patients.

Author: Debasis BiswasSonal AgarwalGirish SindhwaniJagdish Rawat

Credits/Source: ls of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials 2010,

9:28