RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Seasonality in airway pathogens during the first year after lung transplantation: A single center experience
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP P2445
VO 40
IS Suppl 56
A1 Zsuzsanna Kovats
A1 Zoltan Sutto
A1 Gabriella Murakozy
A1 Aniko Bohacs
A1 Csaba Vajai
A1 Krisztina Czebe
A1 Gyorgy Losonczy
A1 Veronika Muller
YR 2012
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P2445.abstract
AB After lung transplantation (LuTx) high level of immunosuppression is needed to prevent rejection, which makes recipients more susceptible to infections. Pulmonary infections are a major clinical problem during the first postoperative year and regular surveillance examinations and immediate adequate treatment is mandatory. As seasonality of respiratory tract infections is well known in chronic pulmonary diseases, we assessed pathogen spectrum and number of infections in the first postoperative year in LuTx recipients.Airway pathogens registered during the first posttransplant year in 16 Hungarian LuTx patients (underlying disease: cystic fibrosis: 8, interstitial lung disease: 4, obstructive lung disease: 3, primary pulmonary hypertension: 1) were analyzed. Microbiological samples were taken from upper and/or lower respiratory tract and serum as part of the routine care. Number of positive samples was analyzed according summer (S=March to August) and winter (W=September to February) period.A total of 107 infections were registered during the first posttransplant year. The most frequent pathogens were Gram negative bacteria (n=48) and fungi (n=33). Total number of respiratory infections in S were significantly less frequent as compared to W (S=40, W=67; including Gram positive: S=8, W=11; Gram negative: S=16, W=31; fungi: S=13, W=20; other: S=4, W=4) independent of the season when LuTx was performed. We report increased number of respiratory tract infection in W period in the first postoperative year in LuTx recipients. More intensive vigilance for possible infections is needed during the W period in these patients.