The value of combined detection of neutrophil apolipoprotein (HNL), serum amyloid A (SAA), procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the differential diagnosis of bacterial and viral infectious diseases. A retrospective study was conducted to collect the clinical data of infected patients and healthy people in the clinical department of Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital from September to December in 2022. 100 patients with confirmed infection were divided into bacterial infection group (n=50) and virus infection group (n=50), and 50 healthy people were selected as control group (n=50). Fasting venous blood was collected at the initial stage of admission or on the day of physical examination. HNL was detected by double antibody sandwich method, SAA and CRP were detected by nephelometry, and PCT was detected by chemiluminescence method. The efficacy of infection markers in the differential diagnosis of bacterial infection and viral infection in infected patients was evaluated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of HNL, SAA, PCT and CRP in bacterial and viral infectious diseases; Logistic regression was used to analyze the influence of each index on the diagnostic efficiency. The results showed that the levels of HNL (126.60±33.32) ng/ml, PCT (28.02±11.37) ng/ml and CRP (36.13±14.37) mg/L in bacterial infection group were significantly higher than those of HNL (47.72±15.94) ng/ml, PCT (1.27±0.40) ng/ml, CRP (18.77±10.66) mg/L in virus group and HNL (38.21±12.53) ng/ml, PCT (0.38±0.12) ng/ml and CRP (4.13±1.07) mg/L in control group. The level of HNL increased most significantly (F=89.228, P<0.05). The area under ROC curve (AUC) from large to small was HNL+SAA+PCT+CRP (0.976), HNL (0.907), PCT (0.885), CRP (0.856), SAA (0.790), SAA/CRP (0.733). The level of SAA/CRP in virus infection group (94.05±3.75) was significantly higher than that in bacteria group (17.70±3.69) and control group (3.89±1.50) (F=84.005, P<0.05). The area under ROC curve (AUC) from large to small was HNL+SAA+PCT+CRP (0.986), SAA/CRP (0.956), SAA (0.878), HNL (0.768), CRP (0.742), PCT (0.730). In conclusion, HNL has the best auxiliary diagnostic efficacy in bacterial infection, followed by PCT; SAA/CRP has the best auxiliary diagnostic efficacy in viral infection, followed by SAA; the combined detection of serum HNL, SAA, PCT and CRP may be helpful for the differential diagnosis of bacterial and viral infections.
Humans ; C-Reactive Protein ; Procalcitonin ; Serum Amyloid A Protein ; Retrospective Studies ; Virus Diseases/diagnosis* ; Bacteria ; Communicable Diseases ; Bacterial Infections/diagnosis*

The value of combined detection of neutrophil apolipoprotein (HNL), serum amyloid A (SAA), procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the differential diagnosis of bacterial and viral infectious diseases. A retrospective study was conducted to collect the clinical data of infected patients and healthy people in the clinical department of Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital from September to December in 2022. 100 patients with confirmed infection were divided into bacterial infection group (n=50) and virus infection group (n=50), and 50 healthy people were selected as control group (n=50). Fasting venous blood was collected at the initial stage of admission or on the day of physical examination. HNL was detected by double antibody sandwich method, SAA and CRP were detected by nephelometry, and PCT was detected by chemiluminescence method. The efficacy of infection markers in the differential diagnosis of bacterial infection and viral infection in infected patients was evaluated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of HNL, SAA, PCT and CRP in bacterial and viral infectious diseases; Logistic regression was used to analyze the influence of each index on the diagnostic efficiency. The results showed that the levels of HNL (126.60±33.32) ng/ml, PCT (28.02±11.37) ng/ml and CRP (36.13±14.37) mg/L in bacterial infection group were significantly higher than those of HNL (47.72±15.94) ng/ml, PCT (1.27±0.40) ng/ml, CRP (18.77±10.66) mg/L in virus group and HNL (38.21±12.53) ng/ml, PCT (0.38±0.12) ng/ml and CRP (4.13±1.07) mg/L in control group. The level of HNL increased most significantly (F=89.228, P<0.05). The area under ROC curve (AUC) from large to small was HNL+SAA+PCT+CRP (0.976), HNL (0.907), PCT (0.885), CRP (0.856), SAA (0.790), SAA/CRP (0.733). The level of SAA/CRP in virus infection group (94.05±3.75) was significantly higher than that in bacteria group (17.70±3.69) and control group (3.89±1.50) (F=84.005, P<0.05). The area under ROC curve (AUC) from large to small was HNL+SAA+PCT+CRP (0.986), SAA/CRP (0.956), SAA (0.878), HNL (0.768), CRP (0.742), PCT (0.730). In conclusion, HNL has the best auxiliary diagnostic efficacy in bacterial infection, followed by PCT; SAA/CRP has the best auxiliary diagnostic efficacy in viral infection, followed by SAA; the combined detection of serum HNL, SAA, PCT and CRP may be helpful for the differential diagnosis of bacterial and viral infections.
Humans ; C-Reactive Protein ; Procalcitonin ; Serum Amyloid A Protein ; Retrospective Studies ; Virus Diseases/diagnosis* ; Bacteria ; Communicable Diseases ; Bacterial Infections/diagnosis*

Infectious diseases are an enormous public health burden and a growing threat to human health worldwide. Emerging or classic recurrent pathogens, or pathogens with resistant traits, challenge our ability to diagnose and control infectious diseases. Nanopore sequencing technology has the potential to enhance our ability to diagnose, interrogate, and track infectious diseases due to the unrestricted read length and system portability. This review focuses on the application of nanopore sequencing technology in the clinical diagnosis of infectious diseases and includes the following: (i) a brief introduction to nanopore sequencing technology and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing platforms; (ii) strategies for nanopore-based sequencing technologies; and (iii) applications of nanopore sequencing technology in monitoring emerging pathogenic microorganisms, molecular detection of clinically relevant drug-resistance genes, and characterization of disease-related microbial communities. Finally, we discuss the current challenges, potential opportunities, and future outlook for applying nanopore sequencing technology in the diagnosis of infectious diseases.
Communicable Diseases/diagnosis* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Humans ; Microbiota/genetics* ; Nanopore Sequencing ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Technology

Infectious diseases are commonly seen in clinical practice, and pathogen diagnosis is the key link in diagnosis and treatment; however, conventional pathogen detection methods cannot meet clinical needs due to time-consuming operation and low positive rate. As a new pathogen detection method, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has a wide detection range and can detect bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, rare pathogens, and even unknown pathogens. The technique of mNGS is unbiased and can rapidly, efficiently, and accurately obtain all nucleic acid information in test samples, analyze pathogens, and guide clinical diagnosis and treatment, thereby playing an important role in complicated infectious diseases. This article reviews the diagnostic advantages and clinical value of mNGS in bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections.
Bacteria ; Communicable Diseases/diagnosis* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods* ; Humans ; Metagenomics/methods* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

In the past, coronavirus caused two serious human-to-human pandemics in the world, including severe acute respiratory syndrome （SARS） and Middle East respiratory syndrome （MERS）. In late 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 （COVID-19） caused another major global public health event. Due to the strong infectivity of novel coronavirus, it is difficult to carry out the autopsy of related death cases widely. This paper reviews the previous status of the pathogen detection related to the autopsy of coronavirus infection diseases, and introduces the ongoing detection methods of novel coronavirus in clinical practice, in order to provide reference for the pathogen detection and study related to autopsy of COVID-19.
Autopsy ; COVID-19 ; Communicable Diseases ; Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis* ; Humans ; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus ; SARS-CoV-2

BACKGROUND: In the Emergency Department (ED), diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis are challenging with at least 50% of anaphylaxis episodes misdiagnosed when the diagnostic criteria of current guidelines are not used.OBJECTIVE: Objective of our study was to assess anaphylaxis diagnosis and management in patients presenting to the ED.METHODS: Retrospective chart review conducted on patients presenting to The Medical City Hospital ED, the Philippines from 2013–2015 was done. Cases were identified based on International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th revision coding for either anaphylaxis or other allergic related diagnosis. Cases fitting the definition of anaphylaxis as identified by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (NIAID/FAAN) were included. Data collected included demographics, signs and symptoms, triggers and management.RESULTS: A total of 105 cases were evaluated. Incidence of anaphylaxis for the 3-year study period was 0.03%. Of the 105 cases, 35 (33%) were diagnosed as “urticaria” or “hypersensitivity reaction” despite fulfilling the NIAID/FAAN anaphylaxis criteria. There was a significant difference in epinephrine administration between those given the diagnosis of anaphylaxis versus misdiagnosed cases (61 [87%] vs. 12 [34%], χ² = 30.77, p < 0.01); and a significant difference in time interval from arrival at the ED to epinephrine administration, with those diagnosed as anaphylaxis (48%) receiving epinephrine within 10 minutes, versus ≥ 60 minutes for most of the misdiagnosed group (χ² = 52.97, p < 0.01).CONCLUSION: Despite current guidelines, anaphylaxis is still misdiagnosed in the ED. Having an ED diagnosis of anaphylaxis significantly increases the likelihood of epinephrine administration, and at a shorter time interval.
Anaphylaxis ; Classification ; Clinical Coding ; Communicable Diseases ; Demography ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Epinephrine ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Hospitals, Urban ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Incidence ; Philippines ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers

Connective tissue diseases (CTDs) can affect all compartments of the lungs, including airways, alveoli, interstitium, vessels, and pleura. CTD-associated lung diseases (CTD-LDs) may present as diffuse lung disease or as focal lesions, and there is significant heterogeneity between the individual CTDs in their clinical and pathological manifestations. CTD-LDs may presage the clinical diagnosis a primary CTD, or it may develop in the context of an established CTD diagnosis. CTD-LDs reveal acute, chronic or mixed pattern of lung and pleural manifestations. Histopathological findings of diverse morphological changes can be present in CTD-LDs airway lesions (chronic bronchitis/bronchiolitis, follicular bronchiolitis, etc.), interstitial lung diseases (nonspecific interstitial pneumonia/fibrosis, usual interstitial pneumonia, lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia, diffuse alveolar damage, and organizing pneumonia), pleural changes (acute fibrinous or chronic fibrous pleuritis), and vascular changes (vasculitis, capillaritis, pulmonary hemorrhage, etc.). CTD patients can be exposed to various infectious diseases when taking immunosuppressive drugs. Histopathological patterns of CTD-LDs are generally nonspecific, and other diseases that can cause similar lesions in the lungs must be considered before the diagnosis of CTD-LDs. A multidisciplinary team involving pathologists, clinicians, and radiologists can adequately make a proper diagnosis of CTD-LDs.
Bronchiolitis ; Communicable Diseases ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; Connective Tissue ; Diagnosis ; Fibrin ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Lung Diseases ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; Lung ; Pleura ; Pleural Diseases ; Population Characteristics

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious disease. In addition, the incidence of TB is high in South Korea. Effective TB control requires early diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment. Therefore, it is very important for clinicians to understand evidence-based practical recommendations and to be familiar with up-to-date treatment regimens. In this review, we first describe anti-TB drugs, including new drugs. Secondly, we discuss the treatment of drug-susceptible TB. Finally, we present treatment strategies for drug-resistant TB, which is divided into isoniazid-resistant TB, rifampin-resistant TB, and multi-drug resistant TB. For the treatment of drug-susceptible TB, we recommend 2 months of 4 drugs (isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide) followed by 4 months of 2 drugs (isoniazid and rifampin). For the treatment of isoniazid-resistant TB, we recommend 6 to 9 months of 4 drugs (rifampin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, and levofloxacin or moxifloxacin). For the treatment of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB), we recommend a minimum of 5 secondary drugs, including an injectable agent and quinolone. Although the World Health Organization recommended a shorter MDR-TB regimen in 2016, the Korean guidelines for tuberculosis have not yet accepted the shorter regimen. The treatment regimen of TB differs depending on the drug resistance pattern. Therefore, it is important to treat TB properly after confirming the drug resistance pattern. In addition, as new drugs are developed, new treatment guidelines for MDR-TB should be developed that are appropriate for circumstances in Korea.
Cause of Death ; Communicable Diseases ; Drug Resistance ; Early Diagnosis ; Ethambutol ; Incidence ; Korea ; Levofloxacin ; Pyrazinamide ; Rifampin ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; World Health Organization

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most serious infectious diseases in South Korea. TB patients release Mycobacterium tuberculosis into the air when they speak or cough. Once released into the air, these bacteria remain suspended for a long time, and people in the vicinity of TB patients can breathe the infectious particles into their lungs and become infected. TB is most likely to be transmitted in health care facilities when health care workers and patients come into contact with TB patients who are not adequately treated. Thus, TB infection control measures are required to prevent TB transmission in health care facilities. This review discusses methods of reducing the risk of transmission of TB in health care facilities such as cough etiquette, the early diagnosis and treatment of TB patients, isolation of TB patients and the use of personal respiratory protective devices.
Bacteria ; Communicable Diseases ; Cough ; Delivery of Health Care ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Korea ; Lung ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Respiratory Protective Devices ; Tuberculosis

OBJECTIVE: A pneumococcal urinary antigen (PUA) test, which can be performed quickly and easily, is performed frequently in emergency rooms because of its high sensitivity and specificity. On the other hand, it is a relatively expensive test, and it is not known how it affects the clinicians' prescription of antibiotics. This study evaluated the clinical utility of the PUA test. METHODS: This study was conducted retrospectively on patients aged ≥18 years, who underwent a PUA test and were hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia in an emergency room from January to December 2016. The patients were divided into a PUA test positive group and negative group, and the clinical characteristics and antibiotic regimen were compared. RESULTS: A total of 533 patients were enrolled, of which 54 were positive and 479 were negative. The antibiotic prescriptions were similar in the positive and negative groups. After the PUA test result, only two of the positive group used the antibiotics recommended by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Thoracic Society for Streptococcus pneumoniae. Furthermore, there was an appropriate change in eight patients after the blood culture test, but the PUA test result was judged to be meaningful in only two patients. CONCLUSION: The results of the PUA test did not affect the clinician's antibiotic prescription significantly. A prescription standard for the PUA test is needed, and it should be performed after admission rather than in the emergency room.
Americas ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Communicable Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hand ; Humans ; Pneumonia ; Prescriptions ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Streptococcus pneumoniae