Prospective etiological investigation of community-acquired pulmonary infections in hospitalized people living with HIV

The study of the etiological agents of community-acquired pulmonary infections is important to guide empirical therapy, requires constant updating, and has a substantial impact on the prognosis of patients. The objective of this study is to determine prospectively the etiology of community-acquired pulmonary infections in hospitalized adults living with HIV. Patients were submitted to an extended microbiological investigation that included molecular methods. The microbiological findings were evaluated according to severity of the disease and pneumococcal vaccine status. Two hundred twenty-four patients underwent the extended microbiological investigation of whom 143 (64%) had an etiology determined. Among the 143 patients with a determined etiology, Pneumocystis jirovecii was the main agent, detected in 52 (36%) cases and followed by Mycobacterium tuberculosis accounting for 28 (20%) cases. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Rhinovirus were diagnosed in 22 (15%) cases each and influenza in 15 (10%) cases. Among atypical bacteria, Mycoplasma pneumoniae was responsible for 12 (8%) and Chlamydophila pneumoniae for 7 (5%) cases. Mixed infections occurred in 48 cases (34%). S pneumoniae was associated with higher severity scores and not associated with vaccine status. By using extended diagnostics, a microbiological agent could be determined in the majority of patients living with HIV affected by community-acquired pulmonary infections. Our findings can guide clinicians in the choice of empirical therapy for hospitalized pulmonary disease.