[The clinical manifestation and drug sensitive tests of lower respiratory tract infection by enterobacter cloacae. The Pulmonary Infection and Fibrosis Group, Thoracic Society Shanghai Medical Association].

OBJECTIVE

To study the clinical characteristics of lowar respiratory tract infection caused by E. cloacae and to investigate the drug sensitivities of E. cloacae strains.

METHOD

(1) Analysing the clinical deta of 58 case with lowa respiratory tract infection of enterobacter cloacae defined by a putative standard, including ages, symptoms, signs, underlying diseases, sputum culture, X-ray findings and the prognosis. (2) Determining the drug sensitivities against the E. cloacae strains by K-B method.

RESULTS

(1) There were 46 males and 12 females, with the mean age 56 +/- 19% cases diagnosed, who had underlying diseases, most were COPD. 41% cases were mixed infections with other bacteria, most of which were P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae. The chief symptoms were fever (72%) and productive cough (87%). The chest X-ray revealed inflammatory infiltration in lower lobes of both sides. The mortality rate was 9%. (2) The antimicrobial tests in vitro showed that these strains were multiresistant to antibiotics, but imipenem, amikacin, tobramycin, ciprofloxacin, cefoaperazone were sensitive.

CONCLUSIONS

The lower respiratory tract infections caused by E. cloacae showed no specific clinical manifestations. However, the mortality was high. The diagnosis should be made according to bacteriologic examination combined with clinical and X-ray manifestations. Combining antibiotics therapy was recommanded according to antimicrobial sensitivity test.