Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “sputum”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Interactions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with immunoglobulins and complement in sputum.

The interactions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with humoral factors in the sputum of patients with cystic fibrosis were investigated by using an indirect immunofluorescent technique. Fluorescein-conjugated, monovalent antiserum specific to heavy chains of human immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG, or IgM and to complement C3 were used. All strains of P. aeruginosa recovered from the sputum specimens of patients with cystic fibrosis were found to be coated with antibodies of IgA, IgG, and IgM classes and with C3. The specificity of the antibody coating was determined. The fluorescence was most intense with IgA and was followed in intensity by IgG, IgM, and C3. No difference was noted between rough and mucoid strains of P. aeruginosa. When the subcultured P. aeruginosa was incubated with the sputum eluates, a similar pattern of fluorescence was demonstrated, indicating that these humoral factors are present in the sputum and that the coating process can take place in the lower respiratory tract of the patients. By single radial immunodiffusion, significant quantities of the humoral factors in the sputum eluates were detected. These findings suggest that P. aeruginosa is opsonized in sputum of patients with cystic fibrosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia by antigen detection in sputum.

Pneumococcal polysaccharide was detected by counterimmunoelectrophoresis in the sputum of 20 of 26 (77%) adults with community-acquired pneumonia and a positive sputum culture for Streptococcus pneumoniae. The test was negative in 29 pneumonia patients with negative sputum culture for S. pneumoniae. Pneumococcal antigen was also detected in the sputum of six of nine adults with chronic bronchitis and a positive sputum culture, but was not detected in expectorated respiratory secretions of 22 pneumococcal carriers with colds. Pneumococcal antigen could also be detected in sputum by immunodiffusion; antigen titers varied from 1:2 to 1:256. These results strongly suggest that the detection of pneumococcal antigen in respiratory tract secretions indicates infection caused by S. pneumoniae.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Sputum eosinophilia in chronic bronchitis and asthma.

The occurrence of sputum eosinophilia was investigated in 115 patients with chronic bronchitis and asthma. They were clinically divided into four groups; those with asthma only, those with asthma of equal or greater duration than chronic bronchitis, those with chronic bronchitis recently complicated by asthma and those with chronic bronchitis only. Although sputum eosinophilia was more common in the asthmatic groups there was no significant difference between the groups in the degree of sputum eosinophilia. When the groups were subdivided on the basis of methacholine and isoprenaline response (asthma subgroup, greater than or equal to 20% response to isoprenaline or greater than or equal to 40% response to methacholine; chronic-bronchitis subgroup, less than 10% response to isoprenaline plus less than 20% response to methacholine), there was a significant difference between the groups in the degree of sputum eosinophilia. However, sputum eosinophilia still occurred in the chronic bronchitics. In the asthmatic patients, there appeared to be no difference in the degree of sputum eosinophilia in those with positive skin tests, or on steroid medication, compared with those with negative skin tests or not on steroids.¿

Asthma↗
PubMed1976

S-carboxymethylcysteine in the fluidification of sputum and treatment of chronic airway obstruction.

The clinical results and changes in sputum found in both a short-term inpatient trial and a subsequent long-term outpatient investigation (three-month double-blind controlled study) of 82 patients with chronic bronchitis treated with a new mucolytic agent, S-carboxymethylcysteine (Mucodyne), are reported. Fluidification of sputum with reduction in certain measurements of the viscosity of morning sputum aliquots, associated with improvement in the ability to cough up bronchial secretions, significant increase in sputum volume output, and improvement in ventilation (as estimated by the forced expiratory volume in one second), were observed in both trials as dose-related responses, with an increase in the ease of expectoration and a reduction in cough frequency and dyspnea. Therapy with S-carboxymethylcysteine was well tolerated, and there were no serious adverse effects, either immediate or delayed. We suggest that the effect of the drug in fluidifying sputum may be due to a mucoregulatory mechanism which reverses the sputum macromolecular disturbances seen in chronic bronchitis.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1977

Mediators of immediate-type hypersensitivity in sputum from patients with chronic bronchitis and asthma.

Mediators of immediate-type hypersensitivity were studied in the sputum of patients with chronic bronchitis. The same mediators were also measured in early-onset, skin-test-positive asthmatics, in late-onset, skin-test-negative asthmatics, and in patients with bronchial carcinoma, bronchiectasis, and pneumonia. Sputum eosinophilia was a feature of bronchitics and asthmatics, whereas raised blood eosinophil levels were found only in the early-onset, skin-test-positive asthmatics. Histamine and IgE were present in considerable amounts in the sputum of bronchitics and early-onset, skin-test-positive asthmatics. Smaller amounts were found in the other groups. The sputum in all the groups contained material giving an "S.R.S (slow-reacting substance) like" induced contraction of the guinea pig ileum. "Classical" S.R.S.-A., determined by arylsulphatase IIB susceptibility, was present only in bronchitics and both types of asthmatics. Since the bronchitics were, in general, skin-test negative and had normal concentrations of circulating IgE and eosinophils, it is suggested that the findings in the sputum indicate an element of local immediate-type (type I) hypersensitivity in bronchitis although its significance for pathogenesis is not known.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Comparison of sputum counterimmunoelectrophoresis and culture in diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia.

The diagnostic value of counterimmunoelectrophoresis performed on sputum was compared with that of sputum culture. The detection of pneumococcal polysaccharide in sputum showed a better correlation with the presence of pneumococcal pneumonia than the recovery of pneumococci by culture. The authors conclude that sputum counterimmunoelectrophoresis can provide diagnostic guidance to physicians awaiting the results of sputum culture and aid in the interpretation of cultural findings.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1977

Misinformation from sputum cultures without microscopic examination.

Only 13 of 38 hospital laboratories surveyed include a Gram stain routinely in microbiological sputum examination. In a prospective three-hospital study, 60% of over 1,200 "sputum" specimens consisted predominantly of saliva, as judged by cell composition. Compared with the results of cultures in which microorganisms presumptively identified on sputum smears were specifically sought ("directed cultures"), cultures of the same specimens processed in the routine manner missed pneumococci 61%, haemophili 23%, and yeasts 44% of the time. The findings were similar in all three hospitals despite differences in administration, staffing, primary culture media, and workload. Unless microscopic examination is routinely included, half of all microbiological information rendered on sputum specimens is meaningless and subject to dangerous misapplication. Furthermore, culture must be guided by microscopic findings, or respiratory pathogens will frequently be missed. Finally, when routine culture and smear disagree, the culture cannot be assumed to be correct. Microscopic examination should be mandatory in sputum microbiology, both for specimen evaluation and as a guide to what to look for in culture.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1977

[Quantitative bacteriology of sputum and bronchial secretions in patients with chronic bronchitis (author's transl)].

The in vitro and in vivo reproducibility of the quantitative bacteriological analysis of sputum and bronchial secretions has been studied in patients with chronic bronchitis. Sputum produced during bronchial toilet showed a significant higher bacterial numeration than that produced by physiotherapy but the bacterial species identified were identical. No significant variations were observed between the qualitative and quantitative bacteriologic flora of bronchial secretions collected by bronchoscopy from different segments of the airways. Comparison of microbial counts on sputum specimens collected at different periods of the day and at weekly intervals over several weeks revealed that the sputum of clinically stable chronic bronchitic patients contain a relatively constant and potentially pathogenic bacterial flora. The emergence of a superinfection was emphasized by the parallel increase of the leukocytic and bacterial numeration of sputum.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1979

Demonstration of tuberculostearic acid in sputum from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis by selected ion monitoring.

Selected ion monitoring was used to detect tuberculostearic acid (10-methyloctadecanoic acid) in sputum from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. The specimens were autoclaved, lyophilized, extracted, and methanolysed before being subjected to thin-layer chromatography and injected into the gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer. Tuberculostearic acid could be detected in five of six tuberculous sputum specimens containing acid-fast rods detectable by light microscopy of Ziehl-Neelsen stained smears. After the sputum specimens had been cultured for five days on Löwenstein-Jensen medium, when still no colonies could be observed visually, the presence of tuberculostearic acid was demonstrated in all six cases of tuberculosis. In corresponding analyses of sputum from eight patients with non-tuberculous pneumonia, tuberculostearic acid was not found. This fatty acid, the presence of which was also demonstrated in cultures of various mycobacterial and nocardial species, is characteristic of organisms of the order Actinomycetales. The demonstration of tuberculostearic acid in sputum specimens may constitute a rapid and sensitive way of diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis.

Chromatography, Gas↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Comparative study of bronchial mucins isolated from the sputum of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis or other chronic bronchial diseases (author's transl)].

Most of the mucins isolated from the sputum of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis are acidic. Acidic mucins from a child suffering from cystic fibrosis were degraded by alkali treatment. Analysis of the degradation products demonstrated the wide heterogeneity of the carbohydrate chains linked to the mucin polypeptide moiety. However, this heterogeneity of carbohydrate chains is probably not restricted to mucins from patients with cystic fibrosis. Bronchial mucins were prepared either from the sputum of different patients belonging to blood group O or B and suffering from cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis and other chronic bronchial diseases, or from bronchial washings performed in macroscopically healthy area of the bronchial tree of subjects belonging to blood group O. The chemical composition of each mucin fraction was established and an average carbohydrate chain length was estimated. Acidic mucins isolated from the sputum of two children suffering from cystic fibrosis were more sulfated than sialylated and their average carbohydrate chain length was relatively large. These characters were not specific for cystic fibrosis since they were also found in acidic mucins of two children suffering from other bronchial diseases. Most of the acidic mucins isolated from the sputum of three adults suffering from chronic bronchitis were more sialylated than sulfated and had a relatively short average carbohydrate chain length. The sputum of these patients also contained a variable proportion of neural or weakly acidic mucins. The mucins isolated from bronchial washings performed in macroscopically healthy areas of the bronchial tree were acidic molecules whose acidic characteristics and average carbohydrate chain length were about the same as for acidic mucins from patients with chronic bronchitis.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

A rapid procedure for the large scale purification of elastase and cathepsin G from human sputum.

A procedure is described which permits the rapid isolation of large amounts of elastase and cathepsin G from purulent sputum. This procedure involves: (1) digestion of sputum with DNase, (2) extraction of the insoluble residue that remains with 1 M NaCl, pH 8, (3) affinity chromatography on Sepharose-bound Trasylol, and (4) separation of the two enzymes by chromatogrphy on CM-Sephadex. Starting with 500 g of sputum it was possible to isolate 175 mg of each of these two enzymes within 7 to 10 days. Active site titration indicated both enzymes to be at least 97% pure. Disc gel electrophoresis in the presence and absence of SDS and amino acid sequence of the N-terminal region support the conclusion that the elastase and cathepsin G isolated from sputum are identical to the same enzymes isolated directly from the leukocytes of human blood.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1978

Fungal spores in lung and sputum.

A survey of fungal aerospora over a 2-year period was combined with an investigation of the fungi cultured from 295 samples of peripheral human lung and 2466 samples of sputum over the same period. 83% of lung and 88% of sputum samples contained culturable fungi, although in 16% of lung and 31% of sputum samples Candida albicans was the only one. Those fungi of small spore size tended to be found in lung tissue while those with larger spores were more likely to be found in the sputum. While their presence in the respiratory tract was related to their occurrence in the air, differences in their frequencies in the air and lung suggested that the lung had a selective inhibitory effect on the development of different spores. In particular, Aspergillus fumigatus was cultured more frequently than would have been anticipated from its profusion in the air.

Aged↗
PubMed1978

Survival of Streptococcus pneumoniae in sputum from patients with pneumonia.

The isolation rate of Streptococcus pneumoniae in sputum cultures from patients with pneumococcal pneumonia is low. An investigation was made to determine whether this low yield might be due to loss of pneumocci and/or overgrowth by pharyngeal flora before the specimen is plated. Pneumococcal survival times and pharyngeal overgrowth at 4 degrees C and at room temperature were determined in sputum obtained from 42 patients with pneumococcal pneumonia. It was found that pneumococci survived for long periods in sputum--2.2 +/- 1.4 days at room temperature and 9.5 +/- 3.6 days at 4 degrees C. Overgrowth by pharyngeal flora occurred in only 6 of 42 specimens kept at 4 degrees C and 31 of 42 specimens kept at room temperature. The low yield of S. pneumoniae in sputum from patients with pneumococcal pneumonia is not explained by decreased viability of the organism.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Sputum screening by Nomarski interference contrast microscopy.

Gram-stained smears of specimens submitted for sputum cultures were compared with direct wet mounts examined by Nomarski interference contrast microscopy (NIM) for enumeration of squamous epithelial cells (EPC) and leukocytes (WBC). The results obtained by the two methods were comparable, but specimens were more rapidly screened and cell types were more readily differentiated by NIM. Specimens submitted for sputum culture over a 3-month period were examined for EPC and WBC by NIM. Twenty-two percent of the specimens had greater than 25 EPC/field or a predominance of EPC (class I), 30% had greater than 25 EPC and greater than 25 WBC/field (class II), and 48% had greater than 25 WBC/field or a predominance of WBC (class III). The clinical relevance of the culture results was determined by reviewing the records of patients whose specimens were included in the study. Class I specimens provided only 30% clinically relevant culture results. Specimens in class II provided useful culture results in 63% of the patients, and 96% of those in class III provided clinically relevant information. The results confirm the value of sputum screening and demonstrate that NIM provides a rapid, simple, and accurate method for sputum screening.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1978

Isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from sputum in cystic fibrosis.

The success in the isolation of Staphylococcus aureus of different methods of sputum processing was investigated in 60 specimens collected from 14 patients with cystic fibrosis during a seven-month period. Fifty specimens (83%) from 11 patients yielded Staph. aureus by one or more methods. Direct plating of purulent portions of sputum on to media designed for general use in respiratory infections gave unsatisfactory results (35% yield of Staph. aureus). Some increase in isolations was obtained with preliminary liquefaction of sputum; but the best results were given by the addition of a medium selective for staphylococci (mannitol salt agar, BBL) or by initial sonication of sputum (each 83% yield). Seven of the 11 strains of Staph. aureus were thymidine-dependent and otherwise atypical in laboratory characteristics; these were isolated from patients who had received co-trimoxazole.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Pus, deoxyribonucleic acid, and sputum viscosity.

On 100 sputum specimens selected from patients suffering from chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, asthma, and cystic fibrosis total deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content has been related to macroscopic type, to total dry weight yield, and to the apparent viscosity of the secretion at 1350 s-1: since DNA may be present, either as fibres or within cells, in one-third of the specimens the contribution of each form to the apparent viscosity was assessed. The effect on sputum viscosity of the addition of DNA in vitro has also been studied. Whereas between mucoid, mucopurulent, and purulent macroscopic types a significant difference in total DNA and dry weight yield has been found, viscosity was not significantly correlated with purulence. Similarly, the concentration of either cells or fibres correlated significantly with total DNA but not with viscosity. The in vitro addition of DNA to sputum caused a significant increase in its viscosity, and reasons for the differences between the iv vivo and in vitro effect are discussed. Certain constituents of purulent sputum tend to increase viscosity and others to reduce it, and the influence of these varies in the several diseases studied.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Diagnostic value of bronchial aspirate and postbronchoscopic sputum in fiberoptic bronchoscopy.

The contribution of the bronchial aspirate and postbronchoscopic sputum toward the establishment of a correct diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma was evaluated. A total of 273 patients underwent diagnostic bronchoscopic procedures during a 27-month period. One hundred four of these 273 patients were eventually found to have bronchogenic carcinoma. The combination of biopsies by forceps and brushings yielded the diagnosis in 61 (97 percent) of 63 endoscopically visible tumors. Neither bronchial aspirates nor postbronchoscopic specimens of sputum produced an additional diagnosis. The same combination yielded a diagnosis in 17 (41 percent) of 41 endoscopically nonvisible tumors. In these endoscopically nonvisible tumors, unlike tumors, a combination of bronchial aspirates and postbronchoscopic specimens of sputum produced a total of eight additional diagnosis. Thus, the overall diagnosis of endoscopically nonvisible tumors was improved from 41 percent (17/41) to 61 percent (25/41). Both bronchial aspirates and postbronchoscopic specimens of sputum were therefore important sources of diagnosis in endoscopically nonvisible tumors.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1979

Counterimmunoelectrophoresis of sputum and blood for the diagnosis of chest infections caused by pneumococci or Haemophilus influenzae.

In 107 patients with lower respiratory tract infections, counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) of blood and sputum, bacterial cultures of blood, sputum and nasopharyngeal secretion, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibody determination were performed, with special reference to pneumococci and Haemophilus influenzae. For pneumococci CIE of sputum was superior to culture especially in antibiotic-treated patients. The clinical significance of a positive CIE of sputum was supported by close correlation to significant antibody increase. The usefulness of CIE regarding H. influenzae was more difficult to evaluate.

Adult↗