Palivizumab prophylaxis in infants with cystic fibrosis does not delay first isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus

Effects of Chest Physiotherapy in Preterm Infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Systematic Review

Preterm birth carries a higher risk of respiratory problems. The objectives of the study are to summarize the evidence on the effect of chest physiotherapy in the treatment of respiratory difficulties in preterm infants, and to determine the most appropriate technique and whether they are safe. Searches were made in PubMed, WOS, Scopus, Cochrane Library, SciELO, LILACS, MEDLINE, ProQuest, PsycArticle and VHL until 30 April 2022. Eligibility criteria were study type, full text, language, and treatment type. No publication date restrictions were applied. The MINCIR Therapy and PEDro scales were used to measure the methodological quality, and the Cochrane risk of bias and Newcastle Ottawa quality assessment Scale to measure the risk of bias. We analysed 10 studies with 522 participants. The most common interventions were conventional chest physiotherapy and stimulation of the chest zone according to Vojta. Lung compression and increased expiratory flow were also used. Heterogeneities were observed regarding the duration of the interventions and the number of participants. The methodological quality of some articles was not adequate. All techniques were shown to be safe. Benefits were described after conventional chest physiotherapy, Vojta's reflex rolling, and lung compression interventions. Improvements after Vojta's reflex rolling are highlighted in the comparative studies.

Bacterial and Viral Coinfections with the Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus

The human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is one of the leading causes of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children under five years old. Notably, hRSV infections can give way to pneumonia and predispose to other respiratory complications later in life, such as asthma. Even though the social and economic burden associated with hRSV infections is tremendous, there are no approved vaccines to date to prevent the disease caused by this pathogen. Recently, coinfections and superinfections have turned into an active field of study, and interactions between many viral and bacterial pathogens have been studied. hRSV is not an exception since polymicrobial infections involving this virus are common, especially when illness has evolved into pneumonia. Here, we review the epidemiology and recent findings regarding the main polymicrobial infections involving hRSV and several prevalent bacterial and viral respiratory pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, human rhinoviruses, influenza A virus, human metapneumovirus, and human parainfluenza viruses. As reports of most polymicrobial infections involving hRSV lack a molecular basis explaining the interaction between hRSV and these pathogens, we believe this review article can serve as a starting point to interesting and very much needed research in this area.

Viral respiratory tract infections in young children with cystic fibrosis: a prospective full-year seasonal study

Background

Viral respiratory tract infections are common during early childhood. How they impact cystic fibrosis lung disease history in young children is poorly known. The principal aim of our study was to determinate respiratory tract infections frequency in this cystic fibrosis young population. Secondary outcomes were nature of viral agents recovered and impact of such infections.

Methods

We conducted a prospective cohort study of 25 children affected by cystic fibrosis and aged less than 2 years. Nasal samplings were taken systematically monthly or bimonthly with additional samples taken during respiratory tract infections episodes. Ten pathogens were tested by a combination of five duplex RT-PCRs or PCRs: influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), metapneumovirus (MPV), rhinovirus/enterovirus (RV/EV)), coronavirus (HKU1, NL63, 229E and OC43), parainfluenza virus (1–4), adenovirus and bocavirus (Respiratory Multi-Well System MWS r-gene®, BioMérieux, Marcy l’Étoile, France). Cycle thresholds (CTs) were reported for all positive samples and considered positive for values below 40. Quantitative variables were compared using a nonparametric statistical test (Wilcoxon signed rank for paired comparisons). Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) was used to assess relationships between two variables. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS v9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA) or GraphPad Prism V6.00 (GraphPad Software, La Jolla, CA, USA). The significance level was set at 0.05.

Results

The mean age at inclusion was 9.6 ± 6.7 months. The patients had 3.4 ± 1.7 respiratory tract infections episodes per child per year. Forty-four respiratory tract infections (69%) were associated with virus: rhinovirus and enterovirus (RV/EV) were implied in 61% of them and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in 14%. Only one patient required hospitalization for lower respiratory tract infections. 86% of the patients were treated by antibiotics for a mean of 13.8 ± 6.2 days. RSV infections (n = 6) were usually of mild severity.

Conclusions

Respiratory tract infections in young children with cystic fibrosis were of mild severity, rarely requiring hospitalization. Unsurprisingly, RV/EV were the most frequent agents. RSV-related morbidity seems low in this population. This raises the question of the usefulness of RSV preventive medication in this young population.

Palivizumab and Long-term Outcomes in Cystic Fibrosis

BACKGROUND

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend routine use of palivizumab prophylaxis for infants with cystic fibrosis (CF) but recommends consideration in infants with clinical evidence of chronic lung disease or nutritional compromise. However, the beneficial impact of palivizumab on longer-term outcomes is uncertain.

METHODS

We used Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry data to assess the association of receiving palivizumab during the first 2 years of life with longer-term outcomes, including lung function at 7 years old, time to first positive Pseudomonas respiratory culture, and pulmonary-related hospitalizations during the first 7 years of life. Eligible infants were born from 2008 to 2015 and diagnosed with CF during the first 6 months of life. Demographic and clinical confounders of association between palivizumab receipt and outcomes were explored. We created propensity scores to adjust for potential confounding by indication (ie, sicker infants were more likely to receive palivizumab). For each outcome, we performed regression analyses adjusted by propensity scores.

RESULTS

The sample included 4267 infants; 1588 (37%) received palivizumab. Mean percent forced expiratory volume in 1 second predicted at 7 years old was similar among those who did (98.2; 95% confidence interval: 96.9-99.5) and did not (97.3; 95% confidence interval: 96.1-98.5) received palivizumab, adjusting for propensity scores. Time to first positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa culture and annual risk of hospitalization were similar among those who did and did not receive palivizumab.

CONCLUSIONS

At the population level, palivizumab receipt was not associated with improved longer-term outcomes in children with CF.

Early respiratory viral infections in infants with cystic fibrosis

BACKGROUND

Viral infections contribute to morbidity in cystic fibrosis (CF), but the impact of respiratory viruses on the development of airway disease is poorly understood.

METHODS

Infants with CF identified by newborn screening were enrolled prior to 4 months of age to participate in a prospective observational study at 4 centers. Clinical data were collected at clinic visits and weekly phone calls. Multiplex PCR assays were performed on nasopharyngeal swabs to detect respiratory viruses during routine visits and when symptomatic. Participants underwent bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and a subset underwent pulmonary function testing. We present findings through 8.5 months of life.

RESULTS

Seventy infants were enrolled, mean age 3.1 ± 0.8 months. Rhinovirus was the most prevalent virus (66%), followed by parainfluenza (19%), and coronavirus (16%). Participants had a median of 1.5 viral positive swabs (range 0-10). Past viral infection was associated with elevated neutrophil concentrations and bacterial isolates in BAL fluid, including recovery of classic CF bacterial pathogens. When antibiotics were prescribed for respiratory-related indications, viruses were identified in 52% of those instances.

CONCLUSIONS

Early viral infections were associated with greater neutrophilic inflammation and bacterial pathogens. Early viral infections appear to contribute to initiation of lower airway inflammation in infants with CF. Antibiotics were commonly prescribed in the setting of a viral infection. Future investigations examining longitudinal relationships between viral infections, airway microbiome, and antibiotic use will allow us to elucidate the interplay between these factors in young children with CF.

Viral-Bacterial Co-infections in the Cystic Fibrosis Respiratory Tract

A majority of the morbidity and mortality associated with the genetic disease Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is due to lung disease resulting from chronic respiratory infections. The CF airways become chronically colonized with bacteria in childhood, and over time commensal lung microbes are displaced by bacterial pathogens, leading to a decrease in microbial diversity that correlates with declining patient health. Infection with the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major predictor of morbidity and mortality in CF, with CF individuals often becoming chronically colonized with P. aeruginosa in early adulthood and thereafter having an increased risk of hospitalization. Progression of CF respiratory disease is also influenced by infection with respiratory viruses. Children and adults with CF experience frequent respiratory viral infections with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus, influenza, parainfluenza, and adenovirus, with RSV and influenza infection linked to the greatest decreases in lung function. Along with directly causing severe respiratory symptoms in CF populations, the impact of respiratory virus infections may be more far-reaching, indirectly promoting bacterial persistence and pathogenesis in the CF respiratory tract. Acquisition of P. aeruginosa in CF patients correlates with seasonal respiratory virus infections, and CF patients colonized with P. aeruginosa experience increased severe exacerbations and declines in lung function during respiratory viral co-infection. In light of such observations, efforts to better understand the impact of viral-bacterial co-infections in the CF airways have been a focus of clinical and basic research in recent years. This review summarizes what has been learned about the interactions between viruses and bacteria in the CF upper and lower respiratory tract and how co-infections impact the health of individuals with CF.