ScienceDaily: Pneumonia News

New pneumococcal vaccine appears to be as safe as previously used vaccine, study suggests

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:20:20 EDT

The new 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine appears to be as safe as the previous version used prior to 2010, the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, according to a new study.

Genome sequencing provides unprecedented insight into causes of pneumococcal disease

Sun, 05 May 2013 14:59:59 EDT

A new study has, for the first time, used genome sequencing technology to track the changes in a bacterial population following the introduction of a vaccine.

Low vitamin D levels a risk factor for pneumonia

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:16:16 EDT

A new study has shown that low serum vitamin D levels are a risk factor for pneumonia. The risk of contracting pneumonia was more than 2.5 times greater in subjects with the lowest vitamin D levels than in subjects with high vitamin D levels.

Flu and bacteria: Better prognosis for this potentially fatal combination

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:54:54 EDT

Scientists have provided insights into how much harm bacteria can cause to the lung of people having the flu. The results could prompt the development of alternative treatments for flu-related bacterial infections, to improve patient outcome and prevent permanent lung damage.

Co-infections not associated with worse outcomes during H1N1 pandemic

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:35:35 EDT

A new study has found that despite complications, patients co-infected with the pandemic 2009-2010 influenza A H1N1 and a second respiratory virus were not associated with worse outcomes or admission to the hospital's intensive care unit.

Common antibiotic linked to heart problems in patients with lung conditions

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:56:56 EDT

The antibiotic clarithromycin -- widely used for treating lower respiratory tract infections like pneumonia and acute exacerbations (sudden worsening) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease -- may be associated with an increased risk of heart problems, finds a new study.

First real-time, electronic tool to enhance diagnosis of pneumonia

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:04:04 EDT

Researchers have developed and implemented the first real-time electronic screening tool to identify patients with pneumonia to speed up diagnosis and treatment and improve outcomes.

Pneumonia patients nearly twice as likely to suffer from depression, impairments

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:26:26 EDT

Long-term cognitive and functional impairments that follow pneumonia hospitalization are comparable to the negative health effects of heart disease.

Steroids may shorten hospital stay for pneumonia patients

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:33:33 EST

Patients with pneumonia may spend fewer days in the hospital if they are given steroids along with antibiotics and supportive care.

Hospitalization: Strong link between income inequality and readmission risk, but not mortality

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:41:41 EST

Income inequality is associated with an increased risk of readmission to hospital, but not mortality, finds a large US study of older patients.

The human pathogen Streptococcus pneumonia shields foreign DNA derived from other bacteria to promote genetic diversity and vaccine evasion

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:41:41 EST

A new report shows that the human pathogen Streptococcus (S.) pneumoniae (one of the known causes of bacterial pneumonia) has an unusual enzyme that protects foreign DNA taken up during transformation, allowing exchange of pathogenicity islands donated from other pathogenic bacteria.

GP judgement not enough to accurately diagnose cases of pneumonia, study suggests

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:51:51 EST

Pneumonia cannot be accurately diagnosed solely on a doctor’s analysis of symptoms and patient history, according to new findings.

Stopping smoking reduces risk of bacterial pneumonia in people with HIV

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:20:20 EST

Bacterial pneumonia is one of the commonest and most serious infections occurring in people infected with HIV. A metanalysis of cohort and case control studies finds that current smokers with HIV were at double the risk of bacterial pneumonia than non-smoking counterparts, but that when people stopped smoking their risk was reduced.

Widely used sedatives/sleeping pills linked to increased fatal pneumonia risk: Benzodiazepines affect immune system, study suggests

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:02:02 EST

Commonly prescribed sleeping pills/sedatives may increase the risk of contracting pneumonia by as much as 50 percent and increase the risk of dying from it, suggests new research.

Overweight patients hospitalized with pneumonia more apt to survive

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:04:04 EST

Medical researchers studied the records of nearly 1000 patients who were admitted to hospital with pneumonia and noted those who were obese were more apt to survive compared to those who were of normal weight.

Optimal treatment duration for MRSA-related pneumonia re-evaluated

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 16:24:24 EDT

The U.S. national practice guideline for treating MRSA-related pneumonia is seven to 21 days. A new study found that effective treatment can be done in half the time. Researchers found that 40 percent of patients were treated for eight to 13 days on a therapy of the antibiotics vancomycin or linezolid, and had the highest survival rate.

Study to test pneumococcal vaccine in older adult

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:24:24 EDT

Researchers plan to see if a higher dose of a pneumococcal vaccine will create a stronger immune response in older adults who received an earlier generation vaccine against pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases.

Association between common heartburn drugs and risk of pneumonia questioned

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:52:52 EDT

Previous studies associating the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) -- which include popular anti-heartburn medications like Prilosec and Nexium -- with an increased incidence of pneumonia may not have found a true cause-and-effect relationship. A new study outlines a strategy for determining when the results of such observational studies may have been distorted by unmeasured factors and then finds that may be the case with the association between PPIs and pneumonia risk.

How bacteria behind serious childhood disease evolve to evade vaccines

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:10:10 EST

Genetics has provided surprising insights into why vaccines used in both the UK and US to combat serious childhood infections can eventually fail. The study, which investigates how bacteria change their disguise to evade the vaccines, has implications for how future vaccines can be made more effective.

Computational modeling can help plan vaccine introduction, study finds

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:13:13 EDT

Proper planning before the introduction of new vaccines into a developing country's active immunization program could prevent storage problems and transportation bottlenecks that decrease the availability of existing vaccines by as much as two-thirds, according to a new study. Computational models can forecast the impact of new vaccine introduction and identify potential disruptions, concluded the study.

Lack of testing for Legionella: Current recommendations for testing missed 41 percent of cases

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:25:25 EDT

A new study shows that guidelines concerning testing patients for possible community-acquired pneumonia due to Legionella may underestimate the number of cases being seen by clinicians. The study found that if testing was only done in patients felt to be at increased risk of Legionnaires' disease based on such guidelines, more than 40 percent of Legionella cases could be missed based on this single-center study.

Opioids linked to higher risk of pneumonia in older adults

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:42:42 EDT

Opioids -- a class of medicines commonly given for pain -- were associated with a higher risk of pneumonia in a study of 3,061 adults, aged 65 to 94. The study also found that benzodiazepines, which are drugs generally given for insomnia and anxiety, did not affect pneumonia risk.

Newly identified antibodies may improve pneumonia vaccine design

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:14:14 EDT

Researchers have discovered how a novel type of antibody works against pneumococcal bacteria.

2009 H1N1 pandemic flu more damaging to lungs, opens opportunities for bacterial infection

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:13:13 EDT

Many of the people who died from the new strain of H1N1 influenza that broke out in 2009 were suffering from another infection as well: pneumonia. A new study reveals how the two infections, pandemic influenza and pneumonia, interact to make to make a lethal combination.

Guidelines for treating pneumonia in children

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:39:39 EDT

Immunizations, including a yearly flu vaccine, are the best way to protect children from life-threatening pneumonia, according to new guidelines.

Final countdown: Atlantis to carry next-generation vaccine candidate on last space voyage

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:41:41 EDT

The ability of spaceflight to enhance the efficacy of a recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccine, or RASV, will be the focus of experiments conducted by Cheryl Nickerson and Roy Curtiss, of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. The payload will be carried aboard the space shuttle Atlantis on its final mission to the International Space Station.

New salmonella-based 'clean vaccines' aid the fight against infectious disease

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:27:27 EDT

Researchers have developed a technique to make recombinant attenuated salmonella vaccines safer and more effective. The group demonstrated that a modified strain of salmonella showed a five-fold reduction in virulence in mice, while preserving strong immunogenic properties.

Aging, obsolete cells prime the lungs for pneumonia

Thu, 26 May 2011 13:12:12 EDT

Why are older people vulnerable to community-acquired pneumonia? A new study gives an explanation: cells that are supposed to die, but don't.

Antibiotic linezolid an effective option for treating patients with MRSA infection

Mon, 16 May 2011 16:18:18 EDT

The antibiotic linezolid may be more effective than vancomycin in treating ventilated patients who develop methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia as a result of their ventilation, according to a study conducted globally by American and French researchers.

Pneumonia patients at risk for in-hospital cardiac arrest

Sun, 15 May 2011 12:25:25 EDT

Hospital patients with pneumonia may be at risk of experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, often with few or no warning signs, according to new research.

Study challenges concerns on effectiveness of administering pneumococcal, shingles vaccines together

Wed, 11 May 2011 19:32:32 EDT

Administering both the pneumococcal and the herpes zoster vaccines to patients during the same visit is beneficial and does not appear to compromise the protective effect of the zoster vaccine, according to a new study.

Vitamin D deficiency in pneumonia patients associated with increased mortality

Tue, 10 May 2011 10:16:16 EDT

A new study reveals that adult patients admitted to the hospital with pneumonia are more likely to die if they have vitamin D deficiency.

Short antibiotic courses safer for breathing-tube infections in children

Thu, 05 May 2011 15:18:18 EDT

Short courses of antibiotics appear just as effective as longer ones -- and a great deal safer -- in treating respiratory infections that might cause pneumonia in children on temporary breathing devices, according to a Johns Hopkins Children's Center study published online May 3 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Inhaled corticosteroid therapy reduces pneumonia mortality, large study finds

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:40:40 EDT

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are hospitalized for pneumonia and treated with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) have decreased mortality when compared to those who are not treated with ICS, according to a retrospective analysis of almost 16,000 COPD patients admitted to VA hospitals.

Flu helps spread pneumonia

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:47:47 EDT

Bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis are only able to spread when individuals are infected with flu, according to an expert. The work could have implications for the management of influenza pandemics and could help reduce incidence of pneumococcal infections in very young children, who are more susceptible to disease.

Effects of pneumococcal vaccination program on pneumococcal carriage and invasive disease

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:48:48 EDT

Using a cross-sectional study, researchers investigated the effects of the UK pneumococcal vaccination program on serotype-specific carriage and invasive pneumococcal disease.

Pneumonia death rate lower among people who take statins, study suggests

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:27:27 EDT

Taking statins could help prevent people dying from pneumonia, according to a new study.

The killer within: A novel bacterial suicide mechanism

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:22:22 EDT

The zeta toxins are a family of proteins that are normally present within various pathogenic bacteria and can mysteriously trigger suicide when the cells undergo stress. Researchers in Germany have now found the mechanism underlying this programmed bacterial cell death.

Hydrocortisone therapy for trauma patients associated with reduced hospital-acquired pneumonia risk

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:15:15 EDT

Patients admitted to a hospital with major trauma and treated with the steroid hydrocortisone were less likely to be diagnosed with hospital-acquired pneumonia than patients who received placebo, according to a new study.

Why are the elderly so vulnerable to pneunomia?

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 09:16:16 EDT

Scientists are providing insight into why the elderly are so vulnerable to pneumonia and other bacterial infections.

Vaccine made with synthetic gene protects against deadly pneumonia

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 08:27:27 EST

Researchers have developed an experimental vaccine with a synthetic gene that appears to protect against an increasingly common and particularly deadly form of pneumococcal pneumonia.

Better way to diagnose pneumonia

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:52:52 EST

Researchers have created a new sampling device that could prevent thousands of people worldwide from dying of pneumonia each year.

Vitamin E may increase or decrease the risk of pneumonia, depending on smoking and exercise

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:49:49 EST

Depending on the level of smoking and leisure time exercise, vitamin E supplementation may decrease or increase, or may have no effect, on the risk of pneumonia, according to a study by researchers in Finland.

Acid suppressive medication may increase risk of pneumonia

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:10:10 EST

Using acid suppressive medications, such as proton pump inhibitors and histamine2 receptor antagonists, may increase the risk of developing pneumonia, states an article in Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Second-hand smoke increases risk of invasive meningococcal disease in children

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:14:14 EST

Children exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to get invasive meningococcal disease than children who are not exposed.

Preterm infants may need a boost to protect against invasitve pneumococcal disease

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:06:06 EST

A new study suggests that preterm infants may not be fully protected against invasive pneumococcal disease under the current United Kingdom immunization schedule.

Efforts to combat pneumonia among 15 high-burdened countries fall short of recommended targets

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EST

A new report card from IVAC shows efforts to control pneumonia globally fall short of WHO/UNICEF recommendations to help countries achieve Millennium Development Goal targets for child survival.

New vaccine hope in fight against pneumonia and meningitis

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:26:26 EST

A dramatic advance in understanding of how the body fights bacteria paves the way for more effective vaccines.

Secondary infections were a major cause of death during 1918 flu pandemic, research finds

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 13:09:09 EDT

Secondary infections with bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes pneumonia, were a major cause of death during the 1918 flu pandemic and may be important in modern pandemics as well, according to a new article.

H1N1 flu linked to serious bacterial infections in children

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:04:04 EDT

The H1N1 influenza pandemic has led to a sharp increase in the number of children with a serious "secondary" bacterial infection called empyema in children, suggests a new study.

Pneumonia often misdiagnosed on patient readmissions, studies find

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:37:37 EDT

Patients were misdiagnosed with pneumonia at an alarming rate when they were readmitted to the hospital shortly after a previous hospitalization for the same illness, according to two new studies.

New treatment may protect against pneumonia

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 08:01:01 EDT

Intranasal administration of the protein flagellin may activate innate immunity and protect against acute pneumonia, say researchers from France.

Limited number of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes cause most invasive pneumococcal disease

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:10:10 EDT

Contrary to current thinking, the group of serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae responsible for most invasive pneumococcal disease worldwide is conserved across regions, according to new research.

IV treatment may lower risk of dying from bacterial meningitis

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:34:34 EDT

New research shows that an intravenous treatment -- called dexamethasone -- may cut a person's risk of dying from bacterial meningitis.

Swine flu patients benefited from taking Tamiflu, says study

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:34:34 EDT

Healthy people who caught swine flu during the 2009 pandemic may have been protected against developing radiographically (X-ray) confirmed pneumonia by taking the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu), concludes a study of cases in China.

Community-based treatment of malaria, pneumonia could save lives

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:13:13 EDT

Anti-malarial drugs are being used inappropriately for sick children in Zambia with fevers and difficulty breathing -- a problem that can be addressed by arming community health workers with a simple rapid-diagnostic test and a supply of antibiotics, a new study has found.

Cellular structural molecule can be toxic: Makes pneumonia worse

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:39:39 EDT

A structural molecule called cardiolipin and the cellular pump that regulates its levels influence the severity of pneumonia and could provide new ways of treating the lung infection, which is a leading cause of hospitalization and death, according to scientists.

Seasonal flu vaccine lowers risk of first heart attack, study finds

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:35:35 EDT

The seasonal flu vaccine is associated with a 19 percent reduction in the rate of first heart attack and early vaccination in the fall further increases the benefits, a new study finds.

Dosing schedule of pneumococcal vaccine linked with increased risk of getting multiresistant strain

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:33:33 EDT

Infants who received heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination at 2, 4, and 11 months were more likely than unvaccinated controls to have nasopharyngeal (in the nasal passages and upper part of the throat behind the nose) acquisition of pneumococcal serotype 19A, a leading cause of respiratory pneumococcal disease, according to a new study.

Vaccine has cut child cases of bacterial pneumonia, says study

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:21:21 EDT

The number of children admitted to English hospitals with bacterial pneumonia decreased by a fifth in the two years following the introduction of a vaccine to combat the disease, according to a new study.