Resumen

GUILLEN, R et al. Multiplex PCR for detection of atypical bacteria in community-acquired pneumonia patients attending INERAM Hospital. Mem. Inst. Investig. Cienc. Salud [online]. 2012, vol.10, n.1, pp.24-35. ISSN 1812-9528.

The community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Conventional methods fail detecting Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila. These bacteria can cause chronic infectious processes and do not respond to certain antibiotics used in the empirical treatment of CAP. Our objective was to detect M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae and L. pneumophila simultaneously using molecular methods in respiratory samples from CAP patients, and describe common germs isolated by conventional microbiological methods. This was a cross-sectional descriptive observational study carried out in 2011, which analyzed 60 respiratory samples from CAP patients treated at INERAM (National Institute of Respiratory and Environmental Diseases). For multiplex PCR, specific primers were used for the genes of the three mentioned microorganisms. The study protocol was approved by the scientific and ethical committees of the IICS and the personal data of the patients were strictly confidential. The multiplex PCR allowed the specific amplification of the genes of these microorganisms with sensitivity limits between 0.05 and 0.001 ng/µL of DNA. M. pneumoniae and C. pneumoniae were present in 18.3% and 1.7% respectively of all samples analyzed while L. pneumophila was not detected. The microorganisms most commonly isolated were streptococci from the viridans group and Candida spp. The multiplex PCR allowed the detection of M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae and L. pneumophila, being the first of the three the most frequently detected in CAP patients.

Palabras clave : CAP; M. pneumoniae; C. pneumoniae; L. pneumophila; multiplex PCR.

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