European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology
-
Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Mar 1996
Early recognition of Streptococcus pneumoniae in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.
The objective of this study was to assess the predictive value of signs, symptoms, and rapidly available laboratory parameters for pneumococci in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). A prospective study on patients with CAP who were admitted to hospital was conducted. Clinical and laboratory data were collected according to a protocol. ⋯ The variables "cardiovascular disease", "acute onset", "pleuritic pain", "gram-positive bacteria in the sputum Gram stain", and "leucocyte count" correctly predicted the cause of CAP in 80% of all cases in both groups. Depending on the prevalence of Streptococcus pneumoniae, posttest probabilities for pneumococcal pneumonia were up to 90%. It is concluded that data on history, together with the result of the Gram stain of sputum and the leucocyte count, can help to distinguish Streptococcus pneumoniae from other pathogens causing CAP.
-
Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Feb 1996
Comparative StudyInterleukin-8 in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with septic and aseptic meningitis.
Using a monoclonal antibody enzyme immunoassay, the concentration of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 52 patients suspected of having meningitis was studied. The CSF IL-8 concentration was significantly higher in septic meningitis of known and unknown etiology than in aseptic meningitis and significantly higher in aseptic meningitis than in patients without meningitis. ⋯ The IL-8 values used to distinguish septic from aseptic meningitis, at a cut-off point of 3.00 micrograms/l, showed a sensitivity of 81%, a specificity of 92%, and a positive predictive value of 96%. The results suggest that determining IL-8 levels may be useful in the differential diagnosis of meningitis.