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Correspondence

Indian Pediatr 2016;53: 749-750

Bacterial Pathogens Associated with Community-acquired Pneumonia : Author’s Reply

 

Lahari Saikia

Department of Microbiology, Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam, India.
Email: [email protected]
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We offer the following comments in response:

1. All the cases of S. pneumoniae (n=32), K. pneumoniae (n=23) and S. aureus (n=15) were detected by both PCR analysis and culture of the respiratory samples. In conventional PCR, bacterial load estimation was not possible. Antibiotic sensitivity testing was not intended in this study.

2. The limitation of oro-pharyngeal swab sampling was already mentioned in the article. Although organisms like Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus are frequently detected in the upper airways, these organisms were considered as causative agents only when these were isolated in significant count with the absence of growth of other commensal organisms.

3. No child had any chronic respiratory disease.

4. Sample collection of the cases was done following admission to the hospital and initiation of the investigation procedure. The first dose of empirical antibiotic therapy was already administered.

5. We admit the limitation of missing immunization history against Haemophilus influenzae B.

6. Follow-up of the patients as regarding the treatment course was not carried out in this study.


 

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