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Atypical bacterial pathogen infection in children with acute bronchiolitis in northeast Thailand

Chamsai Pientong1, Tipaya Ekalaksananan, Jamree Teeratakulpisarn

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand. chapie@kku.ac.th

Journal of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infection = Wei Mian Yu Gan Ran Za Zhi
|March 29, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Atypical bacteria like Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae are common in young children with acute bronchiolitis, often co-infecting with viruses. These pathogens may contribute to severe illness in infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • Atypical bacterial pathogens, including Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, and Chlamydia trachomatis, are significant respiratory infectious agents.
  • Limited data exists on their role in lower respiratory tract infections in young children with acute bronchiolitis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of atypical bacterial pathogens in young children with acute bronchiolitis.
  • To determine the co-infection patterns between atypical bacteria and respiratory viruses in this pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • Nasopharyngeal secretions from 170 children (1 month to 2 years) with acute bronchiolitis were analyzed.
  • Multiplex and nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used for M pneumoniae and C pneumoniae detection.
  • PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism identified C trachomatis.
  • Multiplex reverse transcriptase PCR detected common respiratory viruses, including RSV.

Main Results:

  • Atypical bacteria were detected in 12.9% of samples, while respiratory viruses were found in 85.3%.
  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the most common atypical pathogen (8.2%), particularly in infants aged 6-12 months.
  • Viral co-infections were frequent, with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) being the most prevalent virus (64.7%).
  • Chlamydia trachomatis (2.4%) infections were exclusively observed in infants, all co-infected with RSV.

Conclusions:

  • Atypical bacterial co-infections in virus-induced acute bronchiolitis vary by age group in children.
  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, and Chlamydia trachomatis may play a crucial role in severe acute bronchiolitis illness in young children.
Abstract

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