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The most common isolates from pleural infections

Anika Považan1, Anka Vukelić, Tatjana Kurucin

  • 1Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina, Center for Microbiology Put doktora Goldmana, Sremska Kamenica, Serbia.

Acta Microbiologica Et Immunologica Hungarica
|September 18, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Identifying bacteria in pleural infections is key for treatment. Streptococcus milleri group and anaerobic Gram-positive cocci are common in community-acquired cases, with no significant changes over five years.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Clinical Pathology

Background:

  • Accurate identification of pathogens causing pleural infections is crucial for effective treatment.
  • The prevalence of causative agents in pleural infections can vary geographically and over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze bacteriological isolates from pleural fluids.
  • To identify the most frequent infectious agents responsible for pleural infections.
  • To assess temporal variations in the distribution of these agents.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of 272 patients with positive pleural fluid cultures over a 5-year period.
  • Conventional microbiological techniques were employed for sample analysis.

Main Results:

  • The most common isolates were streptococcal species (33%), including the Streptococcus milleri group (17.3%).
  • Gram-positive anaerobic cocci accounted for 17.6% of isolates.
  • Enterobacteriaceae (8.5%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.1%) were also identified.
  • No statistically significant differences in pathogen distribution were observed during the study period (p = 0.288).

Conclusions:

  • Streptococcus milleri group and anaerobic Gram-positive cocci are the predominant pathogens in community-acquired pleural infections.
  • These differ from common pneumonia pathogens.
  • Hospital-acquired infections show a higher prevalence of Pseudomonas species, Staphylococcus aureus, and enterobacteria.

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