Treatment of COPD exacerbations: antibiotics

The debate about the importance of bacterial infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will continue. About half of exacerbations yield positive sputum bacteriology, and the isolation rate can be increased by selection of purulent samples. However, bacteria are also isolated in the stable s...

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Main Author: R. Wilson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Respiratory Society 2005-09-01
Series:European Respiratory Review
Subjects:
Online Access:http://err.ersjournals.com/cgi/content/full/14/94/32
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author R. Wilson
author_facet R. Wilson
author_sort R. Wilson
collection DOAJ
description The debate about the importance of bacterial infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will continue. About half of exacerbations yield positive sputum bacteriology, and the isolation rate can be increased by selection of purulent samples. However, bacteria are also isolated in the stable state. The presence of bacteria in sputum alone during an exacerbation does not prove causation. Bacteria have been associated with airway inflammation both in the stable state, when the level of inflammation is related to the size of the bacterial load, and during exacerbations, when resolution of the inflammation is related to bacterial eradication. New evidence has been obtained from epidemiological, immunological and antibiotic studies that supports a role for bacterial infection in causing neutrophilic airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and if accepted should lead to new research in the use of antibiotics.
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spelling doaj.art-a0a19b96932744dbbe29692a3972f9652022-12-22T01:34:06ZengEuropean Respiratory SocietyEuropean Respiratory Review0905-91801600-06172005-09-0114943238Treatment of COPD exacerbations: antibioticsR. WilsonThe debate about the importance of bacterial infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will continue. About half of exacerbations yield positive sputum bacteriology, and the isolation rate can be increased by selection of purulent samples. However, bacteria are also isolated in the stable state. The presence of bacteria in sputum alone during an exacerbation does not prove causation. Bacteria have been associated with airway inflammation both in the stable state, when the level of inflammation is related to the size of the bacterial load, and during exacerbations, when resolution of the inflammation is related to bacterial eradication. New evidence has been obtained from epidemiological, immunological and antibiotic studies that supports a role for bacterial infection in causing neutrophilic airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and if accepted should lead to new research in the use of antibiotics.http://err.ersjournals.com/cgi/content/full/14/94/32Antibioticschronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseexacerbation
spellingShingle R. Wilson
Treatment of COPD exacerbations: antibiotics
European Respiratory Review
Antibiotics
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
exacerbation
title Treatment of COPD exacerbations: antibiotics
title_full Treatment of COPD exacerbations: antibiotics
title_fullStr Treatment of COPD exacerbations: antibiotics
title_full_unstemmed Treatment of COPD exacerbations: antibiotics
title_short Treatment of COPD exacerbations: antibiotics
title_sort treatment of copd exacerbations antibiotics
topic Antibiotics
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
exacerbation
url http://err.ersjournals.com/cgi/content/full/14/94/32
work_keys_str_mv AT rwilson treatmentofcopdexacerbationsantibiotics