OBJECTIVE: To determine the possible association of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and reactive airway disease in children. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Pediatric emergency department in Children's Medical Center of Brooklyn (NY), Kings County Hospital Center. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighteen children with acute episodes of wheezing and 41 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, aged 5 to 16 years. INTERVENTIONS: Children with cultures positive for C pneumoniae were treated with antibiotics. MEASUREMENTS/MAIN RESULTS: Cultures for C pneumoniae and serum samples for antibody testing were obtained from subjects and healthy controls. We isolated C pneumoniae from 13 (11%) children with wheezing and from two (4.9%) controls. Seven (58.3%) of 12 children with positive cultures had no detectable antibody to C pneumoniae and only three (25%) children had serologic evidence of acute infection. Six children had positive cultures on multiple occasions, ranging from 1 to 5 months. The children with wheezing were treated with erythromycin or clarithromycin, a new macrolide antibiotic approved for use in adults; all eventually had a negative culture. Nine (75%) of these children demonstrated clinical and laboratory improvement of the reactive airway disease after the eradication of chlamydial infection. CONCLUSIONS: Infection with C pneumoniae can trigger acute episodes of wheezing in children with asthma. Treatment of C pneumoniae infection may improve the course of reactive airway disease in these patients.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the possible association of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and reactive airway disease in children. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Pediatric emergency department in Children's Medical Center of Brooklyn (NY), Kings County Hospital Center. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighteen children with acute episodes of wheezing and 41 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, aged 5 to 16 years. INTERVENTIONS:Children with cultures positive for C pneumoniae were treated with antibiotics. MEASUREMENTS/MAIN RESULTS: Cultures for C pneumoniae and serum samples for antibody testing were obtained from subjects and healthy controls. We isolated C pneumoniae from 13 (11%) children with wheezing and from two (4.9%) controls. Seven (58.3%) of 12 children with positive cultures had no detectable antibody to C pneumoniae and only three (25%) children had serologic evidence of acute infection. Six children had positive cultures on multiple occasions, ranging from 1 to 5 months. The children with wheezing were treated with erythromycin or clarithromycin, a new macrolide antibiotic approved for use in adults; all eventually had a negative culture. Nine (75%) of these children demonstrated clinical and laboratory improvement of the reactive airway disease after the eradication of chlamydial infection. CONCLUSIONS:Infection with C pneumoniae can trigger acute episodes of wheezing in children with asthma. Treatment of C pneumoniae infection may improve the course of reactive airway disease in these patients.
Authors: A Schumacher; A B Lerkerød; I Seljeflot; L Sommervoll; I Holme; J E Otterstad; H Arnesen Journal: J Clin Microbiol Date: 2001-05 Impact factor: 5.948
Authors: Jay Peters; Harjinder Singh; Edward G Brooks; Joseph Diaz; Thirumalai R Kannan; Jacqueline J Coalson; Janet G Baseman; Marianna Cagle; Joel B Baseman Journal: Chest Date: 2011-05-26 Impact factor: 9.410
Authors: Claire A Gross; Russell P Bowler; Rebecca M Green; Andrew R Weinberger; Christina Schnell; Hong Wei Chu Journal: BMC Pulm Med Date: 2010-05-14 Impact factor: 3.317