Diagnosis of respiratory viral infections in cystic fibrosis by PCR using sputum samples

Incidence and clinical impact of respiratory viruses in adults with cystic fibrosis

“…We have previously shown that CF sputum is suitable for the diagnosis of VRI using PCR 15. In contrast to a recent paediatric study,28 we found that sputum had higher viral identification rates than upper airway swabs and detected a greater variety of viruses.…”

Clinical impact of respiratory virus in pulmonary exacerbations of children with Cystic Fibrosis

“…The prevalence of respiratory virus in this study was 35.7%. In agreement with previous studies, picornaviridae viruses were the most frequently detected viruses, regardless of age [ 4 – 9 , 12 , 20 , 21 ]. RSV was the second most frequent virus, and had the lowest hospital admission rate, even though it has been suggested that CF patients could be at risk for more severe infection by this agent [ 22 ].…”

“…The prevalence of respiratory virus, although significant, was smaller than previously reported in some prior studies that also applied molecular technics [ 3 – 6 , 11 ]. An explanation for this difference is the broader PE definition criteria [ 3 , 5 , 6 ] and the inclusion of samples from patients with upper respiratory tract infections without PE [ 4 , 11 ]. In our perspective, a more open inclusion criteria eventually included milder cases, less important for the course of the disease or the clinical conduct.…”

Bronchiectasis Exacerbations: The Role of Atypical Bacteria and Respiratory Syncytial Virus

“…The role of viruses and atypical bacteria has been investigated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations (18). Atypical bacteria have also been investigated among CF patients (19,20), although few studies used molecular techniques (21,22). Noteworthy, the investigators who studied the role of viruses using molecular techniques used nasal secretions -either exclusively or in conjunction -with sputum samples (18,22).…”

“…Atypical bacteria have also been investigated among CF patients (19,20), although few studies used molecular techniques (21,22). Noteworthy, the investigators who studied the role of viruses using molecular techniques used nasal secretions -either exclusively or in conjunction -with sputum samples (18,22). Samples from the upper respiratory tract were also used by investigators who studied atypical bacteria in studies not related to bronchiectasis (9,18).…”