Transmission Electron Microscopy Improves the Diagnostic Sensitivity in Nonbacterial Etiology of Severe Pneumonia: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Severe pneumonia is responsible for great mortality and morbidity worldwide, and early-applied effective antiinfective therapy can improve the prognosis of patients. However, identification of infectious agents in severe pneumonia remains a major challenge so far. In this study, the potential utility of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in detecting nonbacterial pathogens in patients with severe pneumonia was retrospectively evaluated.Materials and Methods: A total of 106 patients diagnosed with severe pneumonia at our hospital from September 2015 to December 2017 were included, and their baseline clinical characteristics were collected. Nonbacterial infectious agents detected by TEM in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serological tests were summarized. The detection rates were further compared between TEM and serological tests. Results: BALF examination under the transmission electron microscope revealed 24 viruses, 16 mycoplasmas, 18 chlamydia, 2 fungi and 74 bacteria in 99 samples, among which 61 samples were mixed infections. The combined use of serological tests and TEM significantly improved the detection rate of nonbacterial infectious agents in patients with severe pneumonia.Conclusions: Our data support that implementation of TEM could improve the sensitivity for detecting viruses, atypical pathogens and mixed infections in BALF from patient of severe pneumonia. Therefore, TEM may be used as an auxiliary diagnostic method of other microbiological tests in severe pneumonia.

Aptamer Cocktail to Detect Multiple Species of Mycoplasma in Cell Culture

“…Most make use of DNA amplification techniques that are characterized as stable, specific, and rapid, such as general and real-time PCR assays [6,[19][20][21], Cycleave PCR [22], and loop-mediated isothermal amplification [23]. Some are based on immunological principles, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays [24,25], and some are based on microscopic techniques, including electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy [26][27][28]. Other detection methods include Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy [29], biochemical tests [30], and Gaussia luciferase-based assays [31].…”

Wnt inhibitory 1 ameliorates neovascularization and attenuates photoreceptor injury in an oxygen‐induced retinopathy mouse model

“…As we described previously for mouse tissue samples, 53 the isolated retinas were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde and 1% osmium tetroxide, dehydrated through a graded series of acetone (50%, 70%, 90%, and 100%) and embedded in a mixture of epon substitute and araldite. Sections (50–100 nm) from each sample were stained with 3% uranyl acetate and Reynolds's lead citrate and were visualized with a transmission electron microscope system (Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan).…”

Analysis of risk factors for negative emotions in patients with severe pneumonia and their impact on prognosis

“…Patients with SP generally have an acute onset, with respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, dyspnea, and neurological symptoms such as depression, irritability, and drowsiness. Complications such as shock and hepatic and renal insufficiency often follow, and require long-term hospitalization (12)(13)(14). During hospitalization, patients are often required to receive invasive treatments such as mechanical ventilation, which may cause fear, worry, anxiety, and other adverse psychological effects, resulting in reduced compliance with treatment and seriously affecting the quality of life of patients.…”