Haemophilus influenzae

[mole]

I could really use some advice. I had a horrible cold, and my doctor tested my nasal cavity, and I have the Haemophilus influenzae bacteria. I am now no longer sick- I am only rarely coughing and apart from my pregnancy symptoms I am well. I am 7 weeks pregnant. I asked my doctor the risk to the fetus of taking antibiotics vs. the risk to the fetus of letting my immune system deal with the Haemophilus (as my immune system appears to be doing a very good job) and she said it's a gamble. I have to decide for myself. The internet is a terrifying place, full of horrors when you google "haemophilus pregnancy". I cannot find any clear information about my body's ability to fight haemophilus without antibiotics and I also can't find any information about the risk to the fetus early in pregnancy. Does anyone here have any experience with/ knowledge of this bacteria?  Thanks.

[butterfly_mommy]

I don't really know about this off hand but i did come across this on Wikipedia

"Clinical diagnosis of H. influenzae is typically performed by bacterial culture or latex particle agglutinations. Diagnosis is considered confirmed when the organism is isolated from a sterile body site. In this respect, H. influenzae cultured from the nasopharyngeal cavity or sputum would not indicate H. influenzae disease, because these sites are colonized in disease-free individuals.^[4] However, H. influenzae isolated from cerebrospinal fluid or blood would indicate H. influenzae infection"

This is the source of the above info ^ Puri J, Talwar V, Juneja M, Agarwal KN, Gupta HC (1999). "Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among respiratory isolates of Haemophilus influenzae". Indian Pediatr 36 (10): 1029–32. PMID 10745313.

Which I interpret to mean that an accurate diagnoses can not be achived through a nasal swab as even disease free people (75% is what I read else wear) carry the organism in their nasal cavity.  So I would think to get an accurate diagnoses you would need to look at a sterile blood test.

I would post your question in Health and Healing as i am sure there are lots of people there that have a better understanding. It seems that one of the types of  H. Influenzae is more commonly called HIB

Anyway hope this helps.

[mole]

Thank you butterfly_mommy. I read the wiki article too. I think the test was accurate because I was very sick, and that was the only bacteria that they found and the quantity was "abundant". I spoke with a midwife on the phone, and we were a little bit stuck in a loop of "decisions about antibiotics needs to be made with your doctor" "my doctor told me to decide for myself, so I want more information" "you need to get that information from your doctor"... Eventually we agreed that since I can choose for myself, and my body is currently defeating the infection, I will not take the antibiotics now. If my symptoms return, then my body is not doing a good job fighting the infection, and I can take the antibiotics then. My doctor is incredibly fatalistic, and so she kept giving me the "reassuring" information that if the infection harmed my fetus, my body will abort it within a couple weeks. I know that is accurate. Still. I would prefer if she could give me information like "this infection leads to miscarriage in 2% of pregnant women and this antibiotic leads to miscarriage in 3%" (or whatever) so I could make a truly informed decision. I guess those studies just haven't been done. 

[Emily Cipriani]

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Edited by Emily Cipriani - 2/21/12 at 3:17am

[Plummeting]

So you're already well? What made your doctor think it was a bacterial infection vs. a viral infection? The nasal passage generally has many different types of bacteria in it at one time. It's practically impossible that the only bacteria in your nose was/is H. influenzae. Is it that H. influenzae was the only pathogenic bacteria they found? If so, that doesn't mean it's what was making you sick. It just means it's the only bacteria they found in your nose that could make you sick. I agree that finding it in your nasal passage means nothing at all. It means you have a type of bacteria in your nose that we all carry in our noses at different times.

If your doctor was concerned about it affecting your baby, she should have done a blood test, not a nasal swab. Can you ask her why she didn't? Can you ask her why she thinks your symptoms were caused by a bacterial infection vs. a viral infection? Then maybe you'd be in a better position to make a decision you were confident about. It sounds like you've made up your mind for now, but you seem a little hesitant. Personally, the answers to those questions would help me make a decision I was comfortable with, you know? 

[mole]

Oh Emily! I'm so sorry for your loss, and for the horrible medical crisis you just survived! Oh that is so terrible. I am just so so sorry for you, and glad you survived. Fortunately I never had any of those serious symptoms you had- no fever, no bleeding, no contractions. It was just a flu. I'm sending you comforting thoughts.

Plummeting, I am coughing occasionally, but 98% well. The dr. originally thought it was a viral infection because my blood test didn't show what she expected to see if it was bacterial. The nasal passage test showed lots of kinds of flora, with H. influenzae the only one that triggered something for them to tell me about it. my dr. was never concerned about the infection affecting my baby, she said if it had it was too late. the antibiotics would be for me, not for the fetus. i'm travelling for work now (out of the country) for a couple weeks, so there's no way for me to get in contact with my dr. now. It's OK though, I'm confident I am fine without the antibiotics. 

[Plummeting]

Oooohhh, okay. I was confused. It happens, lol. Yeah, I was curious and read a bunch about it last night, and I thought the same thing - that if the baby would be affected, it was already too late, since that would have to happen due to bacteremia, and that would've happened while you were sick, not after you were already well. If docs were to start prescribing abx every time they found any sort of pathogenic bacteria in our noses, we'd all be on abx all the time. I just thought you sounded a little unsure. I'm glad you're comfortable with what you decided.

[Emily Cipriani]

Thanks for your thoughts, and I'm glad you're doing well!