Respiratory infections in immunocompromised patients

• Published in: Current opinion in pulmonary medicine Vol. 15; no. 3; pp. 209 - 217
• Main Authors: Corti, Marcelo, Palmero, Domingo, Eiguchi, Kumiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-05-2009
• Subjects: Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Immunosuppressive Agents - adverse effects; Opportunistic Infections - diagnosis; Opportunistic Infections - epidemiology; Prognosis; Respiratory Tract Infections - diagnosis; Respiratory Tract Infections - epidemiology; Risk Factors
• ISSN: 1070-5287; 1531-6971
• DOI: 10.1097/MCP.0b013e328329bd2c

Immunosuppressive states and therapies are becoming common in clinical practice. Recent advances and trends in bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic pulmonary infections in immunosuppressed patients are described.
Pulmonary infections can jeopardize the prognosis of immunosuppressed patients. The number of patients infected with multidrug-resistant bacteria or opportunistic pathogens like rapid-growing environmental mycobacteria, Strongyloides stercoralis or Rhodococcus equi is increasing with the increased numbers of immunosuppressed patients due to HIV/AIDS and the potent immunosuppressive therapies used in solid-organ and haematopoietic transplantations, cancer and systemic illnesses. The slow development of more effective antibiotics underlines the necessity of preventive measures, development of rapid detection tests for pathogens and appropriate treatment regimens to avoid development of further resistance.
Adequate prophylaxis, clinical suspicion, microbiological and molecular investigations, drug susceptibility-based antibiotic treatment and new drug development are strategies required to face up to the challenge of pulmonary infections in immunodepressed patients.