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Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) for Research; Obtaining Adequate Sample Yield
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Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) for Research; Obtaining Adequate Sample Yield

Published on: March 24, 2014

The bronchial lavage of pediatric patients with asthma contains infectious Chlamydia

Wilmore C Webley1, Paul S Salva, Chester Andrzejewski

  • 1Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, 639 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. wilmore@microbio.umass.edu

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
|March 1, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Viable Chlamydia pneumoniae bacteria were frequently found in the lungs of children with asthma. This finding suggests a potential link between this infection and pediatric asthma development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Worldwide asthma incidence is rising, significantly impacting public health.
  • Chlamydia pneumoniae is a suspected contributor to asthma, previously detected in bronchial tissue via PCR without viability confirmation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of viable Chlamydia in pediatric patients.
  • To investigate the association between Chlamydia infection and asthma in children.

Main Methods:

  • Collected blood and bronchoalveolar lavage samples from 70 pediatric patients (42 with asthma).
  • Utilized polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and macrophage culture to detect viable Chlamydia.
  • Assessed total IgE levels and compared Chlamydia prevalence in patients versus controls.

Main Results:

  • 54% of lavage samples were PCR-positive for Chlamydia; 31% of these were culture-positive.
  • 40% of PCR-positive and 20% of culture-positive lavage samples were from asthmatic children.
  • Blood cultures showed 34.3% positivity in pediatric patients versus 11% in controls (p < 0.01).
  • Elevated total IgE strongly correlated with positive Chlamydia lavage cultures.

Conclusions:

  • Viable Chlamydia pneumoniae is frequently present in the respiratory tract of pediatric patients, particularly those with asthma.
  • Findings support Chlamydia pneumoniae as a significant factor in pediatric asthma.

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