Bacteriology of acute respiratory infections in children.

Sivadasan, K.; Paramasivan, C.N.; Manjula Datta; Vallishayee, R.S.; Gopi, P.G.; Prabhakar, R.

Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology; 1987; 5; 237-244.

Bacteriological investigations were carried out on 151 children (80 males and 71 females) suffering from acute respiratory infections (ARI) to find out bacteria associated with ARI. Fifty one children presenting with upper respiratory infections (URI) and 100 with Lower Respiratory Infections (LRI) seen at the outpatient department of the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Madras, were included in this study. In all, 56% of the children yielded any one or a mixture of bacteria that could be potential or probable pathogens of ARI. Non-fermenting gram negative bacilli (NFGNB) were the predominant organisms isolated (27%) followed by non-typable ampicillin resistant Haemophilus influenzae (13%) and ß. haemolytic streptococci groups C and G (11%). the other bacteria isolated in this study were Klebsiella pneumoniae (7%), Streptococus pneumoniae (3%), Neisseria sps. pure (3%) and Staphylococcus aureus (1%). The isolation rate of NFGNB was maximum (47%) when the duration of illness exceeded 7 days. Mixed infections of potential or probable pathogens were observed in 11 patients which included NFGNB + K. pneumoniae (2); H. influenzae + NFGNB(2); ß- haemolytic streptococci + H. influenzae (2); ß- haemolytic streptococci + K. pneumoniae (1); S. aureus + K. pneumoniae (1); N.Jeisseria sp . + K. pneumoniae (2) and NFGNB + ß- haemolytic streptococci + H. influenzae (1).

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