Respiratory infections in immunocompromised patients.
OBJECTIVE
Immunosuppressive states and therapies are becoming common in clinical practice. Recent advances and trends in bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic pulmonary infections in immunosuppressed patients are described.


RESULTS
Pulmonary infections can jeopardize the prognosis of immunosuppressed patients. The number of patients infected with multidrug-resistant bacteria or opportunistic pathogens like rapid-growing environmental mycobacteria, Strongyloides stercoralis or Rhodococcus equi is increasing with the increased numbers of immunosuppressed patients due to HIV/AIDS and the potent immunosuppressive therapies used in solid-organ and haematopoietic transplantations, cancer and systemic illnesses. The slow development of more effective antibiotics underlines the necessity of preventive measures, development of rapid detection tests for pathogens and appropriate treatment regimens to avoid development of further resistance.


CONCLUSIONS
Adequate prophylaxis, clinical suspicion, microbiological and molecular investigations, drug susceptibility-based antibiotic treatment and new drug development are strategies required to face up to the challenge of pulmonary infections in immunodepressed patients.
Corti
Marcelo
M
Infectious Diseases Hospital F. J. Muñiz, Buenos Aires, Argentina. marcelocorti@fibertelcom.ar
Palmero
Domingo
D
Eiguchi
Kumiko
K
D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents