Immune profile of B and T cells and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) may differ in tumors of lung cancer (LC) patients with/without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and may also influence patient survival. We sought to analyze: (1) TLSs, germinal centers (GCs), B and T cells, and (2) associations of the immune biomarkers with the patients’ 10-year overall survival (OS). TLSs (numbers and area), B [cluster of differentiation (CD) 20], and T (CD3), and GCs cells were identified in both tumor and non-tumor specimens (thoracotomy) from 90 LC-COPD patients and 43 LC-only patients. Ten-year OS was analyzed in the patients. Immune profile in tumors of LC-COPD versus LC: TLS numbers and areas significantly decreased in tumors of LC-COPD compared to LC patients. No significant differences were observed in tumors between LC-COPD and LC patients for B or T cells. Immune profile in tumors versus non-tumor specimens: TLS areas and B cells significantly increased, T cells significantly decreased in tumors of both LC and LC-COPD patients. Survival: in LC-COPD patients: greater area of TLSs and proportion of B cells were associated with longer survival rates. The immune tumor microenvironment differs in patients with underlying COPD and these different phenotypes may eventually impact the response to immunotherapy in patients with LC.

Cronobacter spp. (Enterobacter sakazakii) are important foodborne pathogens. Infections with this pathogen can lead to neonatal meningitis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and bacteremia. This study examined Cronobacter spp. contamination in commercial powdered infant formulas (PIFs) and follow-up formulas (FUFs) in China. Forty-nine of 399 samples were contaminated with Cronobacter spp. and 10.2% of the isolates were resistant to cefotaxime; in contrast, all of the tested isolates were susceptible to amikacin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, cefepime, ciprofloxacin, imipenem, and meropenem. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analyses produced a total of 16 PFGE banding patterns and 11 sequence types (STs), including 7 novel STs. In summary, the rates at which Cronobacter spp. were isolated from commercial PIF and FUF samples in China were relatively high, and the isolated strains exhibited high susceptibility in vitro to most antibiotics. The PFGE method exhibited higher typing capability than the MLST method, and molecular typing results revealed that the contamination of PIF and FUF with Cronobacter spp. in China may be mainly due to the addition of contaminated materials. Thus, the development of more effective control strategies during the manufacturing process is needed.