[Microbiological diagnosis of bacterial lower respiratory tract infections].
Microbiological diagnosis of bacterial lower respiratory tract infections has relevant limitations and related controversy, depending on the clinical setting and diagnostic methods used, and its value is contingent on an accurate clinical diagnosis and previous antimicrobial therapy. The limitations reside in a low diagnostic yield of the causative agent and the difficulty of determining the clinical significance of the agents recovered. This report examines the current microbiological diagnostic yield of the main clinical entities and etiological agents, indications for invasive or non-invasive specimen collection procedures, and proper specimen processing and culture in the appropriate media. Criteria regarding specimen suitability and indications for quantitative cultures are established. Criteria for evaluating the results are provided, and the current fast diagnostic techniques are described.
Meseguer
María Antonia
MA
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain. Meseguer.hrc@salud.Madrid.org
Begoña Cacho
Juana
J
Oliver
Antonio
A
Puig de la Bellacasa
Jorge
J
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D013048:Specimen Handling; D013997:Time Factors
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial
Diagnóstico microbiológico de las infecciones bacterianas del tracto respiratorio inferior.