Usefulness of sputum culture for diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia in HIV-infected patients.
The use of sputum culture in immunocompetent patients with community-acquired pneumonia is controversial. The usefulness of this technique in HIV-infected patients has not been evaluated. A prospective, observational, multicenter, hospital-based study of bacterial community-acquired pneumonia was carried out to analyze the value of sputum culture in HIV-infected patients. Only good-quality sputum samples were cultured. Altogether, 355 cases of bacterial community-acquired pneumonia were included. An etiological diagnosis was obtained in 190 (53.5%) cases. Sputum was cultured in 313 (88.1%) cases, being diagnostic in 108 (34.5%). The microorganism identified in sputum culture was the same as that identified in sterile samples in 26 of 27 (96.3%) cases in which both cultures were diagnostic. The microbiologic findings in sputum and bronchoscopic cultures were concordant in seven of eight (87.5%) cases in which both were positive. These results suggest that sputum culture is a useful technique, given its availability and ease of performance and its good correlation with culture of sterile samples.
Cordero
E
E
Infectious Diseases Service, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Avenida Manuel Siurot s/n, 41013 Seville, Spain. mcordero@cica.es
Pachón
J
J
Rivero
A
A
Girón-González
J A
JA
Gómez-Mateos
J
J
Merino
M D
MD
Torres-Tortosa
M
M
González-Serrano
M
M
Aliaga
L
L
Collado
A
A
Hernández-Quero
J
J
Barrera
A
A
Nuño
E
E
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D000328:Adult; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000145:classification / Q000379:methods*; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology*
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents