New cause found for some pulmonary cases

BUFFALO, N.Y., Jul 20, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A ubiquitous bacterial strain long believed "harmless" has been found actually to cause 10 percent of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

University of Buffalo scientists said the bacterium, Moraxella catarrhalis or M. catarrhalis, is responsible for as many as 4 million COPD flare-ups annually in the United States.

Although the bacterium often is present in sputum from adults with COPD, its potential role in the disease was ignored after 1950s studies determined it to be relatively harmless.

The UB scientists found M. catarrhalis responsible for approximately 10 percent of exacerbations of COPD, said Dr. Timothy Murphy, lead author.

The study involved 104 adults with COPD who were seen at the outpatient clinic at the Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center over 81 months. During that period, researchers identified 120 episodes of M. catarrhalis infections in 50 patients, nearly half of which were associated with flare-ups of COPD.

There was no evidence that exacerbations were associated with acquisition of a new strain of another pathogen.

COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.

The findings appear in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.