 |
|
Diagnosis of Pneumonia by Counterimmunoelectrophoresis of Respiratory Secretions
Blaise L. Congeni, MD;
George A. Nankervis, PhD, MD
Am J Dis Child. 1978;132(7):684-687.
Abstract
• Several recent studies in adults have indicated that counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) of sputum can distinguish persons with pneumococcal pneumonia vs those in whom merely colonization of pneumococcus occurs—CIE being positive in the former and negative in the latter. Counterimmunoelectrophoretic determinations were done on nasopharyngeal (NP) secretions in 20 children with bacterial pneumonia as evidenced by physical and radiological findings, leukocytosis, response to a penicillin, and in some cases, evidence of bloodstream invasion. Thirty-five children with other types of respiratory illness served as controls. Ten of 16 children from the pneumonia group had pneumococcal antigen in their NP secretions. Four of the six patients without pneumonia had evidence of disease associated with type 14 pneumococcus, which is not generally detected by CIE. The four additional patients with pneumonia had Haemophilus influenzae type b, and H influenzae type b antigen was present in the NP secretions. In the control group, one patient had pneumococcal antigen, and one patient had H influenzae type b antigen in the NP secretions, although 17/35 were positive for pneumococcus by culture. Counterimmunoelectrophoretic determinations of NP secretins are reliable in distinguishing patients with pneumococcal pneumonia vs those who are merely carriers (P <.001).
(Am J Dis Child 132:684-687, 1978)
Author Affiliations
From the Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital. Dr Congeni is now with The Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron (Ohio).
Footnotes
Read in part before the annual meeting of the Society for Pediatric Research and the American Pediatric Society, San Francisco, April 29, 1977.
Reprint requests to Department of Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Buchtel Avenue at Bowery Street, Akron, OH 44308 (Dr Congeni).
 CiteULike  Connotea  Delicious  Digg  Facebook  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter
What's this?
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
Pneumococcal Empyema in Childhood
Siegel et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1978;132:1094-1096.
ABSTRACT
|
