Pathogenic Detection of Alveolar Lavage Fluid in Children with Lobar Pneumonia

Abstract

Background: Lobar pneumonia seriously endangers children’s respiratory tract health and affects their growth and development, so it is very important to identify pathogenic microorganisms and use appropriate antibiotics early. Objective: To analyze the significance of pathogenic detection of alveolar lavage fluid in children with lobar pneumonia. Methods: The clinical data of 80 children with lobar pneumonia who were hospitalized from March 2019 to March 2022 were analyzed for pathogenic characteristics in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR (FQPCR), and serum mycoplasma pneumoniae-specific antibody (MP-IgM) levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The differences in clinical lung infections in children with different age groups, mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) pneumonia versus non-MP pneumonia, and mixed versus single infections were compared. Results: There were 15 cases of pathogenic MP infection in the 1–3 years old group, 34 cases of MP infection in the 4–6 years old group, and 6 cases of pathogenic MP infection in the 7–14 years old group. Statistically significant differences were observed in the detection rate of MP between each age group (p < 0.001), and the highest MP detection rate was found in the 7–14 years old group. The differences in the detection rates of single and mixed infections between the age groups did not come up to the statistical standard (p > 0.05). The mean age of patients with a single infection was slightly older than that of patients with mixed infection, but no statistical difference was found between the groups (p > 0.05). The duration of disease was shorter than that of patients with mixed infection, but the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The positive rate of MP detection in BALF by FQ-PCR (55, 73.75%) was higher than that of serum MP-IgM detection (38, 47.5%). Conclusion: The detection rate of MP was the highest in children with lobar pneumonia, followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) and adenovirus (ADV), and the pathogens of infection varied in different age groups. MP is the main pathogen of most mixed infections, and mixed infections are more prone to severe or refractory cases. Further studies are required prior to clinical promotion.