Title:Emerging Methods in the Identification of Bacterial Respiratory
Tract Pathogens
Volume: 19
Issue: 3
Author(s): Flora Kiaghobadi, Ali Dehshahri, Younes Ghasemi and Mohammad Hossein Morowvat*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 71468-64685, Shiraz, Iran
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 71468-64685, Shiraz, Iran
Keywords:
Bacterial infection, diagnosis, emerging techniques, respiratory tract infection, treatment.
Abstract:
Aims: Here, we will review different bacterial causes of respiratory
tract infections and discuss the available diagnostic methods. Moreover, we will
provide some recently published patents and newer techniques, such as respiratory
panels and omics approaches, and express the challenges in this path.
Background: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) include those infections that
can lead to the involvement of different respiratory parts, including the sinuses,
throat, airways, and lungs. Acute respiratory tract infection is the leading cause
of death from infectious illnesses worldwide. According to the World Health Organization,
1.6 to 2.2 million deaths have occurred due to acute respiratory infections
in children under five years of age. About 4 million people die annually
from respiratory infections, 98% of which are caused by lower respiratory infections.
Results: Depending on the type of pathogen, the severity of the infection can
vary from mild to severe and even cause death. The most important pathogens
involved in respiratory tract infections include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus
influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis. The symptoms are often similar,
but the treatment can vary greatly. Therefore, correct diagnosis is so important.
There are several methods for diagnosing respiratory infections. Traditional
tests include the culture of respiratory samples, considered the primary tool
for diagnosing respiratory infections in laboratories, and less common standard
tests include rapid and antigenic tests. It is essential to think that the culture
method is reliable. In the original method of diagnosing respiratory infections,
some bacteria were challenging to grow successfully, and many clinical laboratories
needed to be equipped for viral cultures. Another issue is the time to get the
results, which may take up to 7 days. Rapid and antigenic tests are faster but
need to be more accurate.
Conclusion: The clinical laboratories are trying to be equipped with molecular
methods for detecting respiratory pathogens and identifying the genetic material
of the infectious agent in these new methods as the primary method in their agenda.
