Bacteriologic Evaluation in Patients With Bronchiectasis

Background: Patients with bronchiectasis have colonized airways that cause repetitive infections leading to damage in the lower res­piratory tract.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the distribution of infec­tious agents in patients with infective episodes of bronchiectasis and the factors that have the potential to influence the bacteriolo­gical spectra.

Methods and Results: A retrospective analysis of 181 episodes in 88 patients with bronchiectasis showed that P. aeruginosa was the causative agent in 23 (32%), S. pneumoniae in 17 (24%) and H. influenzae in 16 (22%) episodes. There was a slight but statistically insignificant trend to host hospital-acquired pathogens (e.g. P. aeruginosa and S. aureus) in patients with cystic bronchiectasis. No correlation was found between the isolated infectious agents and the duration of symptoms, number of previous hospitalization, radi­ological presentation of bronchiectasis. In patients with COPD and bronchiectasis H. influenzae was the leading pathogen while in bronchiectasic patients with no COPD or with comorbidities other than COPD, P. aeruginosa was found more frequently.

Conclusion: The bacterial spectrum in patients with bronchiectasis during acute infective episodes was consistent with the results of pre­vious studies and no correlations were found between the isolated infectious agents and the duration of symptoms, number of previous hospitalization, or radiological presentation of bronchiectasis.