Editor's Choice November, 2017

Enrico Lombardi, MD

The November choice goes to two studies published in the AJRCCM.

Lechtzin et al. conducted a multicenter, randomized trial on 267 patients at least 14 years old from 14 CF centers to determine if an intervention directed toward early detection of pulmonary exacerbations using home spirometry and symptom monitoring would result in slower decline in lung function than in control subjects. They found that the intervention of home monitoring was able to detect more exacerbations than usual care, but this did not result in slower decline in lung function (1).

Karppinen et al. aimed to describe the impact of rhinovirus infection on the acquisition and transmission of pneumococci within families with children in 29 families with at least two children followed for 3 weeks from the onset of respiratory infectious symptoms in any family member. Children with rhinovirus infection had a 4.3-fold rate of pneumococcal acquisition from the community and a 14.8-fold rate of within family transmission compared with children without rhinovirus infection. These results suggest that rhinovirus infection within families facilitates acquisition and within-family transmission of S. pneumoniae (2).

References

1. Lechtzin N, Mayer-Hamblett N, West NE, Allgood S, Wilhelm E, Khan U, Aitken ML, Ramsey BW, Boyle MP, Mogayzel PJ Jr, Gibson RL, Orenstein D, Milla C, Clancy JP, Antony V, Goss CH; eICE Study Team. Home monitoring of patients with cystic fibrosis to identify and treat acute pulmonary exacerbations. eICE Study Results. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2017;196:1144-1151.

2. Karppinen S, Teräsjärvi J, Auranen K, Schuez-Havupalo L, Siira L, He Q, Waris M, Peltola V. Acquisition and transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae are facilitated during Rhinovirus infection in families with children. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2017;196:1172-1180.