OBJECTIVETo investigate the composition and resistance of main pathogens isolated form Lower respiratory tract in coalminer's pneumoconiosis patients complicated with infection to provide the basis for clinical treatment.

METHODCoalminer's pneumoconiosis patients complicated with infection during 2009 to 2010 were divided into mechanical ventilation group and non mechanical ventilation group. Specimens were obtained from lower respiratory tract by fibrobronchoscopy with protected specimen brush in patients of both groups to perform isolation, culture, identification and susceptibility test of pathogen.

RESULTTotal 111 patients were enrolled, 36 of them in mechanical ventilation group and 75 patients in non mechanical ventilation group. The pathogenic bacteria detection rate of patients in mechanical ventilation group was significantly higher than that of patients in non mechanical ventilation group (88.9% vs. 46.7%, P < 0.01). In non mechanical ventilation group, Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected in 3 patients, and 27 strains of G- bacilli, 3 strains of G+ coccus, and 2 strains of fungus; and 26 strains of G- bacilli, 3 strains of G+ coccus, and 3 strains of fungus were detected in mechanical ventilation group. There was no significant difference in term of strains between the two groups (P > 0.05). Rate of resistance to main antibiotics of patients in mechanical ventilation group was higher than that of patients in non mechanical ventilation group.

CONCLUSIONResistance of pathogenic bacteria isolated from lower respiratory tract was severe in coalminer's pneumoconiosis patients complicated with infection, which was higher in patients treated with mechanical ventilation than patients without mechanical ventilation. Mycobacterium tuberculosis and fungal infection and increasing resistance prompted that clinicians must attach importance to rational drug use and keep to monitoring bacterial resistance.