Detection of Plant DNA in the Bronchoalveolar Lavage of Patients with Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Abstract

BackgroundHospital-acquired infections such as nosocomial pneumonia are a serious cause of mortality for hospitalized patients, especially for those admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Despite the number of the studies reported to date, the causative agents of pneumonia are not completely known. Herein, we found by molecular technique that vegetable and tobacco DNA may be detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage from patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).Methodology/Principal FindingsIn the present study, we studied bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from patients admitted to ICUs with ventilator-associated pneumonia. BAL fluids were assessed with molecular tests, culture and blood culture. We successfully identified plant DNA in six patients out of 106 (6%) with ventilator-associated pneumonia. Inhalation was confirmed in four cases and suspected in the other two cases. Inhalation was significantly frequent in patients with plant DNA (four out of six patients) than those without plant DNA (three out of 100 patients) (P<0.001). Nicotiana tabacum chloroplast DNA was identified in three patients who were smokers (cases 2, 3 and 6). Cucurbita pepo, Morus bombycis and Triticum aestivum DNA were identified in cases 1, 4 and 5 respectively. Twenty-three different bacterial species, two viruses and five fungal species were identified from among these six patients by using molecular and culture techniques. Several of the pathogenic microorganisms identified are reported to be food-borne or tobacco plant-associated pathogens.Conclusions/SignificanceOur study shows that plants DNA may be identified in the BAL fluid of pneumonia patients, especially when exploring aspiration pneumonia, but the significance of the presence of plant DNA and its role in the pathogenesis of pneumonia is unknown and remains to be investigated. However, the identification of these plants may be a potential marker of aspiration in patients with pneumonia.

Cytomegalovirus and Herpes Simplex Virus Effect on the Prognosis of Mechanically Ventilated Patients Suspected to Have Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

“…Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed as previously described [27]. BAL samples were tested by RT-PCR, and standard cultures were performed to identify the bacteria and fungi present in the blood and BAL samples [28].…”

Porphyromonas�gingivalis induced inflammatory responses and promoted apoptosis in lung epithelial cells infected with H1N1 via the Bcl‑2/Bax/Caspase‑3 signaling pathway

“…With the progression of periodontal disease, the pathogenic bacteria in the oral cavity and oropharynx increases constantly, resulting in various types of pneumonia and respiratory infections as they arrive in the lower respiratory tract and lungs ( 8 ). Pneumonia-associated pathogens may be detected in the dental plaque of patients with pneumonia, and periodontal pathogens may be cultured from lung lavage fluid ( 9 ). Previous clinical studies ( 1 , 10 ) have indicated that periodontal infection may significantly increase the incidence of fatal pneumonia in patients on a ventilator, and there is an increased risk of mortality from respiratory diseases, such as pneumonia, in elderly patients with periodontitis.…”

Crossing the kingdom border: Human diseases caused by plant pathogens

“…Later research confirmed the positive correlation between PMMoV virion content and some clinical signs, including fever and abnormal pain (Colson et al, 2010;Balique et al, 2015;Jiwaji et al, 2019) (Table 1). TMV is highly stable in tobacco products and was previously detected in the lungs of active or passive smokers and the bronchoalveolar lavage of intubated patients (Bousbia et al, 2010). Anti-PMMoV antibodies were identified more frequently in serum samples from patients with PMMoV than in control serum samples (Colson et al, 2010).…”