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Diagnosis of hemophilus influenzae infection
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 03.07.2025
Clinical diagnostics of hemophilic infection, except for epiglottitis, is approximate, since Hib is its most common pathogen. The diagnosis of Hib infection is established based on the isolation of a hemoculture of the pathogen and a culture of pathological secretions (cerebrospinal fluid, pus, pleural effusion, sputum, nasopharyngeal smears). In the latter case, only the isolation of capsular strains has diagnostic value. Chocolate agar with growth factors is used for sowing. Bacterioscopy, PCR and the RLA reaction of cerebrospinal fluid are also used to diagnose meningitis.
[ Indications for consultation with other specialists
In case of signs of damage to the central nervous system, a consultation with a neurologist is indicated; in case of local purulent-inflammatory foci, a surgeon; in case of signs of laryngeal stenosis, an otolaryngologist.
Differential diagnosis of hemophilic infection
Epiglottitis is differentiated from diphtheria of the upper respiratory tract, croup in acute respiratory viral infections, and a foreign body in the larynx. Other forms of Hib infection are differentiated based on laboratory test results.
Hib meningitis is differentiated from other types of bacterial, viral meningitis, meningism in acute febrile diseases.