title: Aetiological agents, interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and CRP concentrations in children with community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the pathogens causing pneumonia in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and to investigate serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and CRP in pneumonia caused by different aetiological agents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-seven children (mostly < 5 years of age) were recruited in a prospective study, 55 of them with CAP without prior antibiotic treatment and 32 with HAP. Thirty healthy outpatient children served as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The causative micro-organisms were determined by serological and microbiological methods in 40 cases with CAP (72.7%) and 30 with HAP (93.7%). In CAP, M. pneumoniae was the most common causative agent (43.6%), followed by S. pneumoniae (20%) and C. pneumoniae (18.1%). Bacteria alone were the sole causative agents in only 21.8% of cases with HAP. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (34.3%) and K. pneumoniae (32.5%) were the most frequently isolated. Although IL-6 and IL-8 levels were raised, there was no statistical difference between the CAP and HAP groups, or between bacterial and mycoplasma infections; neither was there a difference in CRP levels between these two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The causes of pneumonia differ between CAP and HAP. Levels of IL-6, IL-8 and CRP are raised in pneumonia but are unhelpful in differentiating the various aetiologies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. gtumgor74@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Gokhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tumgor
authors.forename: Umit
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alabaz
authors.forename: Salih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cetiner
authors.forename: Akgun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yaman
authors.forename: Dincer
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yildizdas
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alhan
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D002097:C-Reactive Protein