LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTION AMONG CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS IN ALEXANDARIA

Abstract

Lower respiratory tract infections are the major causes of m rbidity due to many infectious agents. LRT infections cover three different clinical conditions: acute purulent bronchitis, exacerbation of chronic mucopurulent bronchitis, and pneumonia. The infection can be caused by virtually any type of infectious agent, however many risk factors were considered in developing of the LRT infections including advanced age, smoking, alcohol use, preexisting medical condition of serious illness, and others hospital related factors (4 .

LRT infections are remarkably simplified when the responsible pathogen is accurately defined. However, the frequent colonization with upper respiratory tract commensals is common and so the accurate diagnosis is essential to under stand epidemiology, pathogenesis and prevention of LRT infections (6 .

So the work of this study aimed to evaluate quantitative culture methods in diagnosing LRT infections in critically ill patients and to identify the bacterial, fungal, and M. pneumoniae isolates associated with LRT infections and determine their antibiogram.