Purpose of review The studies that are reviewed in this article have all concluded that a shorter duration of antibiotic therapy (7-8 days) may be adequate in the treatment of the majority of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia, and does…
Noninvasive diagnostic studies, i.e., sputum gram stain, sputum culture, blood culture and antigen detection assays will assist the clinician in the selection of initial antimicrobial therapy in some patients. These tests may be even more valuable in…
Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the most common, and potentially most severe, of infections treated by health care practitioners. Lower RTIs along with influenza, are the most common cause of death by infection in the United States. Risk…
Carbapenems remain a mainstay for the empirical treatment of serious nosocomial infection. Although the tolerance and safety profile of the carbapenems as a class is favorable, the primary safety concern is the potential for treatment-emergent…
Background: Legionnaires disease is a common cause of adult pneumonia. Outbreaks of legionnaires disease have been well described, but little is known about sporadically occurring legionnaires disease, which accounts for most infections. Exposure to…
Asia is a highly heterogeneous region with vastly different cultures, social constitutions and populations affected by a wide spectrum of respiratory diseases caused by tropical pathogens. Asian patients with community-acquired pneumonia differ from…
The pharmacokinetic profiles of imipenem after intramuscular (i.m.) and intravenous injections were examined in adult volunteers. Levels of imipenem in serum after i.m. injection of a microcrystalline suspension of imipenem-cilastatin (500 mg each)…
We describe a patient with community-acquired pneumonia due to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 6. This patient was found to have bronchoalveolar carcinoma of the lung by means of cytologic testing in 1 of 2 bronchoalveolar lavage samples, but no…
The Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) urinary antigen (UAg) test is a commonly used assay. The purpose cif this study was to evaluate the test's actual performance in the clinical setting and determine the effects of renal function, grade of bacteremia,…
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects 15 million people and is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. It places a considerable burden on the healthcare system, with exacerbations contributing to a significant…
