Update in Infectious Diseases
- John G. Bartlett, MD
- From Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.
2005–2006 Series: Update Sessions from ACP's 2005 Annual Session
This Update in Infectious Diseases reviews important literature from 2004 related to infectious diseases. The year had significant achievements, including substantial progress in the area of antiviral therapy for hepatitis B and C. The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was defeated; although we may not be able to fully attribute its disappearance to the public health efforts of the World Health Organization, the agency showed great leadership during a period of crisis. Intensive intervention also prevented a major public health crisis from materializing after the Asian tsunami. Within 48 hours, 60 major organizations established a presence in the area to provide antibiotics and to vaccinate disaster victims against measles. The year also introduced several new challenges; perhaps the greatest was the threat of avian influenza, which loomed large as yet another example of nature's mockery of man. The following papers represent the medical reports that guided research in the field in 2004.
Haemophilus influenzae Infection
Sputum Cultures Underestimated the Frequency of Colonization of the Respiratory Tract by Haemophilus influenzae in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
In this study, the authors investigated the role played by Haemophilus influenzae in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), particularly in exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. The researchers performed monthly sputum cultures on 104 patients with COPD between 1994 and 2000 during 3009 monthly clinic visits.
In 17 instances involving 10 patients, initial sputum cultures grew Haemophilus influenzae, but repeated cultures obtained for 6 months or longer showed no growth. In every case, the negative cultures were then followed by cultures that again showed growth of the same strain. The investigators studied these episodes in detail to test the hypothesis that the interim periods represented continuous colonization by the same strain of Haemophilus influenzae despite an inability to detect it.
The researchers used 3 methods of molecular typing to learn if the strain observed after the period of negative cultures …
This 100-word excerpt has been provided in the absence of an abstract.
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