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Most pleural effusions are associated with bacterial pneumonia, and the identification of the pathogen will assist the therapeutic decision. A specific method that is not affected by previous antibiotic therapy is sought to detect the main causative agents of pneumonia in infants and children (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Staphylococcus aureus). The aim of the present study was to compare the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique with standard culture methods in identifying bacterial infections in infants' and children's pleural effusion.

Samples obtained from pediatric patients (n = 37) with a diagnosis of pneumonia associated to pleural effusion, submitted to thoracentesis, were analyzed by PCR with specific primers.

The PCR technique identified the presence of bacterial infection in a larger proportion (95.2%) than the standard culture method (33.3 …