Acute Pneumonia Caused by Clinically Isolated Legionella pneumophila Sg 1, ST 62: Host Responses and Pathologies in Mice

Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of lung infection caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Legionella. The disease severity depends on both host immunity and L. pneumophila virulence. The objective of this study was to describe the pathological spectrum of acute pneumonia caused by a virulent clinical isolate of L. pneumophila serogroup 1, sequence type 62. In A/JOlaHsd mice, we compared two infectious doses, namely, 104 and 106 CFU, and their impact on the mouse status, bacterial clearance, lung pathology, and blood count parameters was studied. Acute pneumonia resembling Legionnaires’ disease has been described in detail.

COVID-19 Beyond the Lungs

Since December 2019, the world has been shaken by the spread of a highly pathogen virus, causing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-Cov2), which emerged in Wuhan, China. SARS-Cov2 is known to cause acute pneumonia: the cardinal feature of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Clinical features of the disease include respiratory distress, loss of spontaneous breathing, and sometimes neurologic signs such as headache and nausea and anosmia, leading to suppose a possible involvement of the nervous system as a potential target of SARS-CoV2. The chapter will shed light on the recent clinical and experimental data sustaining the involvement of the nervous system in the pathophysiology of COVID-19, based on several case reports and experimental data reporting the possible transmission of SARS-CoV2 throughout the peripheral nerves to the brain cardiorespiratory centers. Thus, understanding the role of the nervous system in the course of clinical symptoms of COVID-19 is important in determining the appropriate therapeutic approach to combat the disease.

Radiographic Changes vis-à-vis Tracheo-bronchial Aspirate Cytology Profile in Pneumonic Cattle

Background: The study was conducted to establish the utility of radiography in the diagnosis of lung diseases in cattle and its correlation with different pneumonia diagnosed on the basis of TBA cytology. Methods: Lateral chest radiography and tracheo-bronchial wash was performed in control (n=21) and diseased group (n=55). Diseased group included cattle presented with respiratory signs and diagnosed with pulmonary diseases on the basis of history, physical and clinical examination and tracheo-bronchial wash cytology. Cytologic diagnosis was established as chronic pneumonia (n=24), acute pneumonia (n=18), tuberculosis (n=5) and aspiration pneumonia (n=8). Survivability was also correlated with lung patterns in diseased cattle. Result: Nodular interstitial pattern (27.3%), unstructured interstitial pattern (25.4%), bronchial pattern (20.0%), pleural effusions (12.7%), mixed lung patterns (10.9%) and miliary interstitial pattern (4.54%) was observed in diseased group. Unstructured interstitial pattern and pleural effusions were most evident in acute pneumonia. The radiographic findings in aspiration pneumonia did not correlate well with cytologic findings. Highest survivability was recorded in cows with bronchial pattern (81.8%) and lowest in miliary interstitial pattern (zero per cent).

Why do Patients with Acute Pneumonia Receive Intravenous Infusions?

Currently, almost all urgently hospitalized patients immediately get access to the venous bed and begin to receive an infusion of solutions. This priority of this procedure is due not only to the need to have the most effective way of administering medications, but also to compensate for the loss of fluid, which in acute diseases has many reasons for this. Further recommendations for the correction of water-electrolyte and volume losses and the choice of the infusion rate are determined by the general criteria for their diagnosis in accordance with the parameters of the large circle of blood circulation. Considering AP, first of all, as a result of infection and not focusing on the localization of the process, modern medicine does not make exceptions in this therapeutic direction for patients with inflammation of the lung tissue.

Pilot study on nocturnal monitoring of crackles in children with pneumonia

BackgroundThe clinical diagnosis of pneumonia is usually based on crackles at auscultation but it is not yet clear what kind of crackles are the characteristic features of pneumonia in children. Lung sound monitoring can be used as a “longtime stethoscope”. Therefore, it was the aim of this pilot study to use a lung sound monitor system to detect crackles and to differentiate between fine and coarse crackles in children with acute pneumonia. The change of crackles during the course of the disease shall be investigated in a follow-up study.Patients and methodsCrackles were recorded overnight from 22.00 to 06.00 h in 30 children with radiographically confirmed pneumonia. The data of a total of 28 800 recorded 30-second-epochs were audiovisually analysed for fine and coarse crackles.ResultsFine crackles and coarse crackles were recognised in every patient with pneumonia but the number of epochs with and without crackles varied widely among the different patients: Fine crackles were detected in 40% (mean, sd 22), coarse crackles in 76% (sd 20). The predominant localisation of crackles as recorded during overnight monitoring was in accordance with the radiographic infiltrates and the classical auscultation in most patients. The distribution of crackles was fairly equal throughout the night. However, there were time periods without any crackle in the single patients so that the diagnosis of pneumonia might be missed at sporadic auscultation.ConclusionNocturnal monitoring can be beneficial to reliably detect fine and coarse crackles in children with pneumonia.

Draft Genome Sequence of Pasteurella multocida Serotype A Strain MOR19, Isolated in Morocco

Pasteurella multocida causes pneumonia in large ruminants. In this study, we determined the genome sequence of the capsular serotype A Pasteurella multocida strain MOR19, isolated from a calf that died from acute pneumonia.

Development of the Inactivated QazCovid-in Vaccine: Protective Efficacy of the Vaccine in Syrian Hamsters

In March 2020, the first cases of the human coronavirus disease COVID-19 were registered in Kazakhstan. We isolated the SARS-CoV-2 virus from clinical materials from some of these patients. Subsequently, a whole virion inactivated candidate vaccine, QazCovid-in, was developed based on this virus. To develop the vaccine, a virus grown in Vero cell culture was used, which was inactivated with formaldehyde, purified, concentrated, sterilized by filtration, and then adsorbed on aluminum hydroxide gel particles. The formula virus and adjuvant in buffer saline solution were used as the vaccine. The safety and protective effectiveness of the developed vaccine were studied in Syrian hamsters. The results of the studies showed the absolute safety of the candidate vaccine in the Syrian hamsters. When studying the protective effectiveness, the developed vaccine with an immunizing dose of 5 μg/dose specific antigen protected animals from a wild homologous virus at a dose of 104.5 TCID50/mL. The candidate vaccine induced the formation of virus-neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated hamsters at titers of 3.3 ± 1.45 log2 to 7.25 ± 0.78 log2, and these antibodies were retained for 6 months (observation period) for the indicated titers. No viral replication was detected in vaccinated hamsters, protected against the development of acute pneumonia, and ensured 100% survival of the animals. Further, no replicative virus was isolated from the lungs of vaccinated animals. However, a virulent virus was isolated from the lungs of unvaccinated animals at relatively high titers, reaching 4.5 ± 0.7 log TCID50/mL. After challenge infection, 100% of unvaccinated hamsters showed clinical symptoms (stress state, passivity, tousled coat, decreased body temperature, and body weight, and the development of acute pneumonia), with 25 ± 5% dying. These findings pave the way for testing the candidate vaccine in clinical human trials.

Coniferyl aldehyde alleviates LPS-induced WI-38 cell apoptosis and inflammation injury via JAK2–STAT1 pathway in acute pneumonia

Pneumonia is a kind of inflammatory disease characterized by pathogen infection of lower respiratory track. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the main bioactive component of Gram-negative bacteria responsible for inflammatory response. Recently, coniferyl aldehyde (CA) has been reported to play a crucial role because of its anti-inflammatory activity. However, the effect and mechanisms of CA in ameliorating symptoms of acute pneumonia remain unknown. Evaluating and identifying the value and exploring the mechanisms of CA on LPS-mediated WI-38 apoptosis and inflammation were the aims of this study. Here, CCK-8 cell viability assay was applied on WI-38 after treatment with or without LPS at different doses of CA to verify that CA can increase LPS-induced cell viability. Then, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assays (ELISA) suggested that LPS treatment dramatically decreased the expression level of IL-10 (anti-inflammatory factor)while strikingly increasing the expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor- α; proinflammatory factor) whereas CA treatment attenuates LPS-induced inflammation of WI-38. Further, flow cytometry and Western blot assay verified that LPS treatment dramatically promoted apoptosis of WI-38 cells, while administration of CA notably inhibited apoptosis of WI-38 cells. Moreover, the Western blot assay hinted that CA could inactivate LPS-induced JAK2–STAT1 signaling pathway. These findings indicated that CA could alleviate LPS-mediated WI-38 apoptosis and inflammation injury through JAK2–STAT1 pathway in acute pneumonia.