Viral PCR from BAL improves diagnosis of pneumonia in immunocompromised children

What is it about?

Pneumonia caused by viruses is sometimes a life threatening infection in Immunocompromised children. Diagnosing the virus is very important, in order to choose the right treatment, and this can be done by performing a Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). In this study we compared the results of viral cultures to viral PCR from BAL and found that PCR increased the diagnosis of viral infections by fourfold.

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Why is it important?

Viral PCR results improved the diagnosis of pneumonia by fourfold in imunocompromised children. It guided the initiation of appropriate anti-viral treatment and also the avoidance of unnecessary antibiotic treatment.