The association between oral health status and respiratory pathogen colonization with pneumonia risk in institutionalized adults.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the oral health and the prevalence of pre-existing oral colonization with respiratory pathogens in dependent elderly, and whether these factors influence pneumonia development. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants residing in a long-term care facility received bedside oral examinations, and information on their oral health (caries status, calculus index and debris index) was obtained. Samples from the tongue and teeth were collected at baseline and at time of pneumonia development. Sputum was collected at the time of pneumonia diagnosis. Samples were assessed for Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: This was a 1-year longitudinal study of 60 dependent elderly (mean age: 64.2 ± 14.1 years). Seventeen patients (28.3%) developed pneumonia. The mean Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth and Simplified Oral Hygiene Index were 22.8 ± 9.2 and 4.0 ± 1.0, respectively. At baseline, 48.3% were orally colonized with ≥1 respiratory pathogens. The presence of H. influenzae (P = .002) and P. aeruginosa (P = .049) in the sputum was significantly associated with their colonization on the tongue at baseline. In the bivariate analyses, pneumonia development was associated with naso-gastric feeding tube (P = .0001), H. influenzae (P = .015) and P. aeruginosa (P = .003) tongue colonization at baseline and calculus index (P = .002). Multivariate analyses revealed that calculus index (P = .09) and the presence of tracheostomy (P = .037) were associated with pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: The calculus amount and tongue colonization with respiratory pathogens are risk factors for pneumonia development. Oral hygiene measures to remove tongue biofilm and calculus may reduce pneumonia development.

Hepatitis C virus genotypes in Singapore and Indonesia.

5' untranslated and partial core (C) region sequence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 21 Singaporean and 15 Indonesian isolates were amplified by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and sequenced with the use of conserved primer sequences deduced from HCV genomes identified in other geographical regions. The HCV genotypes are predominantly that of Simmonds type 1 and less of type 2 and 3 with the latter genotype currently not detected in Indonesia. The 5' untranslated sequences are related to HCV-1. DK-7 (Denmark), US-11 (United States of America), HCV-J4, SA-10 (South Africa), T-3 (Taiwan), HCV-J6, HCV-J8, Eb-1 and Eb-8. When compared with the prototype HCV-1, insertions are found within the 5' untranslated region of Singaporean isolates and not in the Indonesians. There are Singaporean and Indonesian isolates that have sequences within the 5' untranslated region that differ slightly from each other. Microheterogeneity is observed in the core region of two Singaporeans and one Indonesian isolate. Finally, not all HCV isolates can be amplified with the conserved core sequence primers when compared with the ease with which these isolates can be amplified with 5' untranslated region conserved primers.