Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Pediatr Pulmonol 2019 Apr 21. Epub 2019 Apr 21.

School of Medicine, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Background: Obtaining lower airway specimens is important for guiding therapy in chronic lung infection but is difficult in young children unable to expectorate. While culture-based studies have assessed the diagnostic accuracy of nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal specimens for identifying lower airway infection, none have used both together. We compared respiratory bacterial pathogens cultured from nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cultures as the "gold standard" to better inform the diagnosis of lower airway infection in children with chronic wet cough. Read More

Pediatr Infect Dis J 2019 May;38(5):533-538

From the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Education Centre, Bristol, United Kingdom.

Background: This longitudinal study describes the associations between respiratory viral infections, rhinitis and the prevalence and density of the common nasopharyngeal bacterial colonizers, Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp), Moraxella catarrhalis (Mc), Haemophilus influenzae (Hi) and Staphylococcus aureus.

Methods: In an observational cohort study, 161 children attending day care centers in Bristol, United Kingdom, were recruited. Monthly nasopharyngeal swabs were taken and stored frozen in Skim-milk, tryptone, glucose and glycerin broth (STGG) broth. Read More

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019 Mar;23(1 Suppl):60-66

Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Microbiology, IRCCS Galeazzi Orthopaedic Institute, Milan, Italy.

Objective: Probiotics S. salivarius 24SMBc and S. oralis 89a comprised in the nasal spray Rinogermina are known to exert inhibition of harmful pathogens and ameliorate the outcome of patients with chronic upper airways infections. Read More

Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

The University of Newcastle, Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.

Rationale The macrolide antibiotic, azithromycin, reduces exacerbations in adults with persistent symptomatic asthma. However, owing to the pleotropic properties of macrolides, unintended bacteriological consequences such as augmented pathogen colonization or dissemination of antibiotic-resistant organisms can occur, calling into question the long-term safety of azithromycin maintenance therapy. Objectives To assess the effects of azithromycin on the airway microbiota, pathogen abundance, and carriage of antibiotic-resistance genes. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019 Mar 11. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Department of Infectious Diseases, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105

The most frequent ailment for which antibiotics are prescribed is otitis media (ear infections), which is most commonly caused by , , and Treatment of otitis media is complicated by the fact that the bacteria in the middle ear typically form biofilms, which can be recalcitrant to antibiotic treatment. Furthermore, bacterial respiratory infections can be greatly exacerbated by viral co-infection, particularly evidenced by the synergy between influenza and In this study we sought to ascertain the efficacy of aminomethyl spectinomycin lead 1950, an effective antibacterial agent both and against in the context of complex respiratory infections and acute otitis media. A single dose of 1950 significantly reduced bacterial burden in the respiratory tract for all three pathogens, even when species were present in a co-infection model. Read More

J Glob Antimicrob Resist 2019 Feb 27. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

JMI Laboratories, North Liberty, IA, United States.

Objectives: Omadacycline is an aminomethylcycline antibacterial (oral and intravenous once-daily formulation) that recently (October 2018) received FDA approval for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSIs) and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) against selected organism groups. In this study, omadacycline and comparators were tested against 14000 non-duplicate bacterial isolates collected prospectively during 2017 from medical centres in Europe (EUR; 7000 isolates) and the United States (USA; 7000 isolates).

Methods: Omadacycline was tested by broth microdilution following CLSI M07-A11 (2018) methods. Read More

mSystems 2019 Jan-Feb;4(1). Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

Acute otitis media (AOM), secretory otitis media (SOM), and acute pharyngotonsillitis are the most frequent reasons for visits to general practitioners, pediatricians, and otolaryngologists. Microbial colonization of the epithelial lining of Waldeyer's lymphatic tissues, consisting of the palatine tonsils, lingual tonsils, adenoids, and Eustachian tube tonsil, is a well-known clinical challenge during infancy due to frequent episodes of upper respiratory tract infections. However, no previous studies have investigated the combined role of the palatine tonsils and the adenoids as a reservoir for pathogens associated with SOM in small children. Read More

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2019 May 5;120:51-57. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Office of Senior DVC and Provost, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address:

Objectives: Regulatory T lymphocytes (T) have been linked to survival of commensal bacteria at mucosal sites, but their presence and role in chronic otitis media (COM) and their response to otopathogens has not been evaluated previously. We investigated the association between T lymphocytes and otopathogens in COM prone and non-COM prone children.

Methods: Forty children, 2-7 years of age, scheduled for adenoidectomy were enrolled into COM (n = 20) or non-COM (n = 20) groups. Read More

Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2019 13;178(4):355-362. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Division of Allergology and Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma have similar clinical features and are both exacerbated by airway infection.

Objective: To determine whether garenoxacin mesylate hydrate (GRNX) added to the standard care for bacterial infection-induced acute exacerbation of asthma or COPD in adults has clinical benefits.

Method: This single-arm clinical trial was conducted from January 2015 to March 2016. Read More

ERJ Open Res 2019 Feb 4;5(1). Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Dept of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, and SAMRC Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.

Indoor air pollution (IAP) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure may influence nasopharyngeal carriage of bacterial species and development of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). The aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate the impact of antenatal or postnatal IAP/ETS exposure on nasopharyngeal bacteria in mothers and infants. A South African cohort study followed mother-infant pairs from birth through the first year. Read More

Case Rep Pediatr 2019 9;2019:4740504. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Professor and Head, Department of Microbiology, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.

Introduction: are part of the normal flora of the human respiratory tract and are known to have low pathogenic potential. The organism is rarely reported in the literature as the causative agent of meningitis. We report the first case of early-onset neonatal meningitis associated with from Nepal. Read More

Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp) 2018 Dec 11;8(4):128-134. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Septomics Research Center, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.

In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute exacerbations and emphysema development are characteristics for disease pathology. COPD is complicated by infectious exacerbations with acute worsening of respiratory symptoms with as one of the most frequent pathogens. Although cigarette smoke (CS) is the primary risk factor, additional molecular mechanisms for emphysema development induced by bacterial infections are incompletely understood. Read More

J Infect Public Health 2019 Jan 30. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. Electronic address:

Background: Septic arthritis is a common rheumatologic condition with myriad microbiological causative agents. Moraxella is one of the very rare causes of septic arthritis. We hereby present the third case of Moraxella nonliquefaciens septic arthritis and the first case in a hematopoietic stem cell transplant patient (HSCT) along with a brief review of the literature. Read More

Br J Ophthalmol 2019 Feb 1. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Ophthalmology, Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

Background/aims: To describe the risk factors, clinical features, bacterial subspecies characteristics and treatment outcomes of Moraxella keratitis in a single centre.

Methods: A retrospective review of all patients diagnosed with Moraxella keratitis between November 2012 and December 2017 at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, Dublin, Ireland was performed. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry was used to identify subspecies. Read More

Front Immunol 2018 18;9:2910. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Clinical Microbiology, Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.

Non-typeable (NTHi), a commensal organism in pre-school children, is an opportunistic pathogen causing respiratory tract infections including acute otitis media. Adults suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are persistently colonized by NTHi. Previous research has suggested that, in some bacterial species, the intracellular elongation factor thermo-unstable (EF-Tu) can moonlight as a surface protein upon host encounter. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019 Mar 26;63(3). Epub 2019 Feb 26.

JMI Laboratories, North Liberty, Iowa, USA.

Omadacycline is a derivative of minocycline and the first agent of the aminomethylcycline class. A total of 3,282 organisms (1 per patient) were consecutively collected from patients hospitalized in China (including Hong Kong) and Taiwan. Susceptibility testing was performed by broth microdilution methods in a central laboratory (JMI Laboratories). Read More

Pneumonia (Nathan) 2018 25;10:14. Epub 2018 Dec 25.

1Department of Child Health, Universitas Padjadjaran/Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, West Java Indonesia.

Background: Potentially pathogenic bacteria , , , and are commonly carried in the nasopharynx of young children. Host and environmental factors have been linked with pathogen carriage, and in many studies rural children have higher carriage rates than their urban counterparts. There are few published data on what factors contribute to increased pathogen density. Read More

J Infect Chemother 2019 Mar 29;25(3):163-169. Epub 2018 Dec 29.

The Promotion Committee for Proper Use of Pediatric Quinolones of Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases and the Japanese Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.

During the period from January to December 2015, 104 Streptococcus pneumoniae strains, 129 Haemophilus influenzae strains and 54 Moraxella catarrhalis strains isolated from clinical specimens of pediatric infections in the national 16 institutions, studied susceptibilities of total 28 antibiotics, the capsular serotype for S. pneumoniae, the capsular b type and β-lactamase production capability for H. influenzae, and the β-lactamase production capability for M. Read More

Int J Gen Med 2018 28;11:451-456. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare International Ltd, Slough, Berkshire, UK,

Purpose: Pharyngitis is commonly caused by a self-limiting upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and symptoms typically include sore throat. Antibiotics are often inappropriately used for the treatment of pharyngitis, which can contribute to antimicrobial resistance, therefore non-antibiotic treatments which have broad antiseptic effects may be more appropriate. Amylmetacresol (AMC) and 2,4-dichlorobenzyl alcohol (DCBA) are present in some antiseptic lozenges and have established benefits in providing symptomatic relief and some in vitro antiviral action. Read More

Drug Des Devel Ther 2018 27;12:4059-4066. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences (AIBS), Athens, Greece,

Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) is a severe chronic illness characterized by irreversible dilation of airways and thickening of bronchial walls, chronic inflammation, repeated infections, and progressive obstruction of the airways. In contrast to cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (CFB), which is a well-defined genetic disorder, NCFB is a heterogeneous disease caused by many different medical entities. Inhaled antibiotics are effective for patients with CFB, but their efficacy in NCFB has not been proven. Read More

Laryngoscope 2019 Feb 22;129(2):317-323. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Cincinnati, OH, U.S.A.

Objective: Biofilm formation on medical devices such as tracheostomy tubes (TTs) is a serious problem. The clinical impact of biofilms on the airway is still unclear. Biofilms may play a role in granulation tissue development, recurrent airway infections, and failure of laryngotracheal reconstructions. Read More

R Soc Open Sci 2018 Nov 14;5(11):180810. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Battelle Center for Mathematical Medicine, The Research Institute at the Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.

Otitis media (OM) is a common polymicrobial infection of the middle ear in children under the age of 15 years. A widely used experimental strategy to analyse roles of specific phenotypes of bacterial pathogens of OM is to study changes in co-infection kinetics of bacterial populations in animal models when a wild-type bacterial strain is replaced by a specific isogenic mutant strain in the co-inoculating mixtures. As relationships between the OM bacterial pathogens within the host are regulated by many interlinked processes, connecting the changes in the co-infection kinetics to a bacterial phenotype can be challenging. Read More

MBio 2018 12 11;9(6). Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA

Otitis media (OM) is often polymicrobial, with nontypeable (NTHI) and (Mcat) frequently cocultured from clinical specimens. Bacterial biofilms in the middle ear contribute to the chronicity and recurrence of OM; therefore, strategies to disrupt biofilms are needed. We have focused our vaccine development efforts on the majority subunit of NTHI type IV pili, PilA. Read More

Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2018;13:3663-3667. Epub 2018 Nov 8.

Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK,

Purpose: is implicated in the pathogenesis of some COPD exacerbations. We sought to investigate whether the strain is variable between COPD subjects; that an exacerbation is associated with acquisition of a new strain and that certain strains are more commonly associated with exacerbations.

Patients And Methods: Sputum samples were collected at stable and exacerbation visits from COPD subjects from a single center as part of the COPDMAP consortium. Read More

J Infect Dis 2019 Apr;219(9):1448-1455

Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.

Background: Persistence of bacterial pathogens in the airways has profound consequences on the course and pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients with COPD continuously acquire and clear strains of Moraxella catarrhalis, a major pathogen in COPD. Some strains are cleared quickly and some persist for months to years. Read More

Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2019 Apr 27;160(4):712-719. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

3 Division of Otolaryngology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Objective: The microbiology of pediatric complicated acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) has evolved, and our current understanding of pathogenic organisms is limited. The objectives of this study are to describe the incidence of pathogens causing complicated ARS requiring surgical intervention at our institution over a 10-year period as well as their associated treatment outcomes.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Read More

Multidiscip Respir Med 2018 2;13:40. Epub 2018 Nov 2.

2Preventive Medicine Department, Hospital Universitario Infanta Cristina, Parla, Madrid, Spain.

Fifteen years after its licensure, this revision assesses the role of cefditoren facing the current pharmacoepidemiology of resistances in respiratory human-adapted pathogens (, , and ). In the era of post- pneumococcal conjugate vaccines and in an environment of increasing diffusion of the I gene among isolates, published studies on the cefditoren in vitro microbiological activity, pharmacokinetic/pharmcodynamic (PK/PD) activity and clinical efficacy are reviewed. Based on published data, an overall analysis is performed for PK/PD susceptibility interpretation. Read More

Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019 Jan 21;63(1). Epub 2018 Dec 21.

JMI Laboratories, North Liberty, Iowa, USA.

Ceftobiprole is an advanced cephalosporin with potent activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria that has been approved in many European and non-European countries to treat community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia (excluding ventilator-associated pneumonia). This study reports on the activity of ceftobiprole against a large set of clinical isolates obtained from hospitalized patients in the United States in 2016 that caused serious infections, including pneumonia, bacteremia, and skin and skin structure infections. To assess any potential temporal changes in ceftobiprole activity, the 2016 results were compared to corresponding MIC data from a 2006 U. Read More

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2019 Jan 23;38(1):157-160. Epub 2018 Oct 23.

Laboratoire de Virologie, Institut des Agents Infectieux, Groupement Hospitalier Nord des Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been recognized as responsible for severe respiratory illness in adults, especially in the elderly. While pneumonia is commonly observed during RSV infection, the burden and epidemiology of bacterial superinfection is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify microorganisms associated with RSV-positive pneumonia in adults. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2018 Dec 10;77:82-86. Epub 2018 Oct 10.

JMI Laboratories, 345 Beaver Kreek Centre, Suite A, North Liberty, IA 52317, USA.

Objective: To evaluate the potency and spectrum of ceftaroline and comparator agents tested against contemporary bacteria isolated from patients with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) in Europe (EUR), Asia-Pacific (APAC), and Latin America (LATAM).

Methods: A total of 4321 bacterial isolates were collected consecutively by the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program in 2015-2017 from 65 medical centers located in Western Europe (W-EUR; 21 centers in 10 nations), Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean region (E-EUR; 15 centers in 11 nations), APAC (18 centers in nine nations), and LATAM (11 centers in nine nations). Isolates were collected from lower respiratory tract specimens, and an isolate obtained from an outpatient or earlier than 48h after hospitalization was considered community-acquired. Read More

Pediatr Infect Dis J 2018 Oct 5. Epub 2018 Oct 5.

Department of Paediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital/University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Background: Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common childhood infections, generally thought to be caused by ascension of bacteria from the nasopharynx (NP) to the middle ear. Using 16S rRNA-based sequencing, we evaluated the relationship between the NP and middle ear fluid (MEF) microbiota in children with acute otitis media with tympanostomy tubes (AOMT) as a proxy for AOM, and explored whether microbiota profiling predicts natural disease course.

Methods: Microbiota profiles of paired NP and MEF samples of 94 children aged below five years with uncomplicated AOMT were determined. Read More

J Infect Chemother 2019 Mar 29;25(3):229-232. Epub 2018 Sep 29.

Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan; Research Centre for Advanced Oral Science, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan. Electronic address:

Increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among pathogenic bacteria is a serious threat to public health. Surveillance studies to monitor shifting trends in resistance are important and guide the selection of appropriate antimicrobial agents for a particular organism. Furthermore, these studies help in dissemination of accurate information regarding AMR to the public. Read More

Infect Drug Resist 2018 28;11:1309-1320. Epub 2018 Aug 28.

Basilea Pharmaceutica International Ltd., Basel 4005, Switzerland,

Purpose: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) can cause significant morbidity and mortality and are becoming increasingly difficult to treat because of the growing prevalence of resistance to conventional antimicrobial agents. This study aimed to assess the current in vitro susceptibility of respiratory tract pathogens collected from the UK and Ireland to ceftobiprole, an advanced-generation cephalosporin, as compared with other antibiotics.

Methods: Pathogens isolated from patients with LRTIs were analyzed as part of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Programme during 2014-2015. Read More

J Med Case Rep 2018 Sep 12;12(1):258. Epub 2018 Sep 12.

Department of Pediatrics and Allergy, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children. While the majority of infants display only mild upper respiratory tract infection or occasionally otitis media, around one-third will develop an infection of the lower respiratory tract, usually bronchiolitis. There is now convincing evidence from a number of cohorts that respiratory syncytial virus is a significant, independent risk factor for later wheezing, at least within the first decade of life. Read More

Mediators Inflamm 2018 5;2018:4847205. Epub 2018 Aug 5.

Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wroclaw, Przybyszewskiego 63/77, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland.

Neuropeptides such as substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) play both pro- and anti-inflammatory activities and are produced during infection and inflammation. is one of the leading infectious agents responsible for inflammatory exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Since the airway inflammation in COPD is connected with activation of both epithelial cells and accumulated neutrophils, in this study we determined the effects of neuropeptides on the inflammatory potential of these cells in response to outer membrane vesicle (OMV) stimulant. Read More

Infect Drug Resist 2018 6;11:1047-1053. Epub 2018 Aug 6.

Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland,

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance in clinical strains isolated in Lublin, Poland.

Materials And Methods: A total of 150 non-duplicate clinical strains of were obtained from individuals with signs of upper respiratory tract infection. Bacterial identification was corroborated on the basis of phenotypic and biochemical characteristics as well as with the use of molecular tests. Read More

J Infect Public Health 2018 Nov - Dec;11(6):878-883. Epub 2018 Aug 7.

Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia. Electronic address:

Background: Overcrowding during the annual Hajj pilgrimage has been known to increase the risk of infectious diseases transmission. Despite the high prevalence of respiratory illness among Malaysian Hajj pilgrims, knowledge about the etiologic pathogens is yet very limited. Thus, this study aimed to determine the spectrum of bacterial respiratory pathogens among the Hajj pilgrims returning to Malaysia in year 2016. Read More

PLoS One 2018 3;13(8):e0201799. Epub 2018 Aug 3.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Saitama Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center, Kumagaya, Saitama, Japan.

Background: To elucidate the characteristics of pneumonia in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to assess whether pneumonia in RA patients differs from that in non-RA patients.

Methods: We retrospectively divided pneumonia patients into two groups, those with RA and those without RA, and compared the two groups. We evaluated the risk factors for mortality with univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Read More

BMC Complement Altern Med 2018 Jul 27;18(1):227. Epub 2018 Jul 27.

Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Pécs, Pécs, H-7624, Hungary.

Background: The increasing number of multidrug-resistant bacteria and the fact of antibiotic resistance is leading to a continuous need for discovering alternative treatments against infections, e.g. in the case of respiratory tract diseases. Read More

Res Rep Trop Med 2018 6;9:49-62. Epub 2018 Apr 6.

Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Reynosa, Mexico,

Background: Multiple factors have been associated with the severity of infection by influenza A(H1N1)pdm09. These include H1N1 cases with proven coinfections showing clinical association with bacterial contagions.

Purpose: The objective was to identify H1N1 and copathogens in the Oaxaca (Mexico) population. Read More

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2018 Sep 24;275(9):2273-2279. Epub 2018 Jul 24.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, PL 2000, 33521, Tampere, Finland.

Acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) is a sudden, symptomatic inflammation of the nasal and paranasal mucosa. It is usually caused by respiratory virus infection, but bacteria complicate for a small number of ARS patients. The differential diagnostics between viral and bacterial pathogens is difficult and currently no rapid methodology exists, so antibiotics are overprescribed. Read More

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2018 Sep 22;37(9):1725-1733. Epub 2018 Jul 22.

Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, APHM, MEPHI, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, 19-21 Bd Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.

The nasopharynx is the primary site of colonization by respiratory pathogen that constitutes the port of entrance in the respiratory tract. The role of mucosal respiratory microbiota in infection has been recently emphasized; therefore, we aimed to assess if a specific respiratory microbiota profile was associated with symptomatic infection and/or with presence of respiratory viruses. We performed a case-control study to characterize the healthy respiratory microbiota and its alteration during acute viral infections. Read More

BMC Microbiol 2018 07 20;18(1):77. Epub 2018 Jul 20.

Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, National Key Discipline of Pediatrics (Capital Medical University), National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Beijing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Respiratory Infection Diseases, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 56 Nan-li-shi Road, Beijing, 100045, China.

Background: Moraxella catarrhalis (M. catarrhalis) is an important bacterial pathogen. However, its antibiotic susceptibility patterns in different areas are difficult to compare because of the use of different methods and judgement criteria. Read More

Laryngorhinootologie 2018 Jul 9;97(7):497-508. Epub 2018 Jul 9.

A number of diseases of the middle ear are summed up under the term otitis media: acute otitis media, recurrent acute otitis media, otitis media with effusion, chronic suppurative otitis media and chronic otitis media epitympanalis (= cholesteatoma). Acute otitis media belongs to the most common pediatric diseases and is often caused by bacterial infection. Since the advent of pneumococcal vaccines the quantity of AOM caused by pneumococci has declined; vaccination against NTHi and Moraxella catarrhalis are being developed. Read More

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2018 Sep 29;37(9):1785-1794. Epub 2018 Jun 29.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Health, Melbourne, 3004, Australia.

Acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) is a major cause of hospitalization for Indigenous children in remote regions of Australia. The associated microbiology remains unclear. Our aim was to determine whether the microbes present in the nasopharynx before an ALRI were associated with its onset. Read More

Eur Respir Rev 2018 Jun 27;27(148). Epub 2018 Jun 27.

Clinical Microbiology, Dept of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.

, and are common Gram-negative pathogens associated with an array of pulmonary diseases. All three species have multiple adhesins in their outer membrane, surface structures that confer the ability to bind to surrounding cells, proteins or tissues. This mini-review focuses on proteins with high affinity for the components of the extracellular matrix such as collagen, laminin, fibronectin and vitronectin. Read More

Recent Pat Inflamm Allergy Drug Discov 2018 ;12(2):136-144

Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity in developed countries and an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment are very important.

Objective: To provide an update on the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in children. Read More

Expert Rev Vaccines 2018 06 18;17(6):503-512. Epub 2018 Jun 18.

b Clinical Microbiology, Department of Translational Medicine , Lund University , Malmö , Sweden.

Introduction: Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) has attracted more interest in recent years due to an increased prevalence of infections caused by the pathogen. This upsurge is at least partly ascribed to the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugated vaccines that has resulted in an aetiological shift in NTHi's favor with respect to upper respiratory tract infections. Moreover, an increased antimicrobial resistance has been associated with the pathogen, a fact that further strengthens the case for novel vaccine development. Read More

J Microbiol Immunol Infect 2018 May 14. Epub 2018 May 14.

Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children's Hospita, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the most common pathogens to cause mucosal and invasive infection in humans. Most of the infection could be prevented through immunization by vaccines containing capsular polysaccharides but some infection may be caused by unencapsulated strains.

Methods: Clinical isolates of S. Read More

Lin Chung Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi 2018 Apr;32(7):510-513

Department of Otolaryngology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215004, China.

To investigate the bacteriologic characteristics of recurrent acute rhinosinusitis(RAR).Twenty-nine patients (29 with RAR) from outpatient clinic in our hospital between June 2010 and May 2016 were enrolled in the study. Specimens of the middle meatus or olfactory cleft area using the sinus endoscopy through were transported to the laboratory for bacterial culture. Read More