Cited by 1,628Influenza Virus Research StudiesPneumonia and Respiratory InfectionsRespiratory viral infections research

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 78 of the 80 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 22 of the 134 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Predominant Role of Bacterial Pneumonia as a Cause of Death in Pandemic Influenza: Implications for Pandemic Influenza Preparedness

Open access
Morens, David M., Taubenberger, Jeffery K., Fauci, Anthony S.·2008·The Journal of Infectious Diseases

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite the availability of published data on 4 pandemics that have occurred over the past 120 years, there is little modern information on the causes of death associated with influenza pandemics. METHODS: We examined relevant information from the most recent influenza pandemic that occurred during the era prior to the use of antibiotics, the 1918-1919 "Spanish flu" pandemic. We examined lung tissue sections obtained during 58 autopsies and reviewed pathologic and bacteriologic data from 109 published autopsy series that described 8398 individual autopsy investigations. RESULTS: The postmortem samples we examined from people who died of influenza during 1918-1919 uniformly exhibited severe changes indicative of bacterial pneumonia. Bacteriologic and histopathologic results from published autopsy series clearly and consistently implicated secondary bacterial pneumonia caused by common upper respiratory-tract bacteria in most influenza fatalities. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of deaths in the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic likely resulted directly from secondary bacterial pneumonia caused by common upper respiratory-tract bacteria. Less substantial data from the subsequent 1957 and 1968 pandemics are consistent with these findings. If severe pandemic influenza is largely a problem of viral-bacterial copathogenesis, pandemic planning needs to go beyond addressing the viral cause alone (e.g., influenza vaccines and antiviral drugs). Prevention, diagnosis, prophylaxis, and treatment of secondary bacterial pneumonia, as well as stockpiling of antibiotics and bacterial vaccines, should also be high priorities for pandemic planning.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1086/591708

Cites

78 of 78 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

22 of 134 cited sources checked · 6 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

Show all 48 claims

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 16
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 30
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 4
40 of 40
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The 58 autopsy specimens available from the National Tissue Repository are representative of 1918-1919 influenza fatalities.

    “These materials, sent during the pandemic from various United States military bases to the National Tissue Repository of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology [8-10], represent all known influenza cases from this collection for which lung tissue is available.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The 109 published autopsy series and 8398 autopsies are representative of influenza deaths during the 1918-1919 pandemic.

    “These series reported 8398 individual autopsy investigations undertaken in 15 countries”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Postmortem lung culture results reflect bacteria that contributed to death rather than postmortem contamination or incidental colonization.

    “Negative lung culture results were uncommon in the 96 identified military and civilian autopsy series, which examined 5266 subjects (4.2% of results overall) (table 1; full bibliographic list available at http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/Flu/1918/bibliography.htm).”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Bacillus influenzae largely corresponds to modern Hemophilus influenzae.

    “Bacillus influenzae (largely corresponding to the modern Hemophilus influenzae)”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The prevalent upper respiratory tract bacteria in a future pandemic will be capable of causing severe secondary bacterial pneumonia when influenza virus damages the respiratory epithelium.

    “precipitating severe disease associated with prevalent colonizing bacteria.”
5 of 5

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Abstract misstates the number of autopsy series

    Minor

    The abstract calls the 109 sources autopsy series, but the Methods identify them as 109 reports containing 173 autopsy series.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

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Show all 80 references

2 of the 80 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 26

  1. Cruveilhier L. Action du serum antipneumococcique au cours de la pneumonie et dans les complications de la grippe. Annales de l'Institut Pasteur 1919; 33:448-61.
  2. Dauer CC, 1961, Am Rev Respir Dis, 83, 15
  3. Vaughan WT. Influenza: an epidemiological study. Monograph series no. 1. Baltimore, Maryland: American Journal of Hygiene, 1921.
  4. Byerly CR. Fever of War: the influenza epidemic in the U. S. Army during World War I. New York: New York University Press, 2005.
  5. Reid AH, 1999, Lab Invest, 79, 95
  6. Mulder J, Hers JFP. Influenza. Groningen: Wolters-Noordhoff, 1972.
  7. Klotz O, 1919, University of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh, 207
  8. MacCallum WG, 1919, Med Rec, 95, 776
  9. Tobias JW, 1920, Rev Med Univ Buenos Aires, 17, 109
  10. MacCallum WG, 1921, Johns Hopkins Hosp Rep, 20, 149
  11. Reckford FFD, 1920, Pennsylvania Med J, 23, 379
  12. Nuzum JW, 1918, J Am Med, 71, 1562
  13. Holm ML, 1919, France. Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp, 30, 324
  14. Little TR, 1918, Proc R Soc Med (Great Britain), 12, 36
  15. Rucker JB, 1918, Proc Pathol Soc Philadelphia, 21, 41
  16. Rucker JB, Wenner JJ. Friedlander bacillus the causative factor in bronchopneumonia following influenza. N Y Med J 1918; 108:1066-9.
  17. Fiore G, 1919, Riv Clin Pediatr (Firenze), 17, 281
  18. Moses A, 1919, Bras Med, 33, 37
  19. Baker SL, 1920, Haslar. J R Nav Med Serv, 6, 446
  20. Harkavy J, 1920, Am J Roentgenol, 7, 109
  21. Mark DD, 1959, Am Rev Tuberc Pulmon Dis, 79, 440
  22. MacCallum WG, 1918, Trans South Surg Assoc, 19, 180
  23. Brightman IJ, 1935, Yale J Biol Med, 8, 127
  24. Glover RE, 1941, Br J Exp Pathol, 22, 98
  25. Schwab JL, 1941, J Bacteriol, 41, 59
  26. Logan WR, 1921, Edinburgh Med J, 26, 294

Cited by

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Items 1,401–1,500 of 1,628

Metadata

Authors
Morens, D. M., Taubenberger, J. K., & Fauci, A. S.
Affiliations
National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author
Morens, David M.
Venue
The Journal of Infectious Diseases
Published
2008-10
Volume
198
Issue
7
Pages
962-970
ISSN
  • 0022-1899 (ISSN-L)
  • 1537-6613
OpenAlex
W2167944937
Cited by
1,625
References
80
Citations by year
2026: 42 · 2025: 65 · 2024: 69 · 2023: 101 · 2022: 132 · 2021: 165 · 2020: 139 · 2019: 64 · 2018: 74 · 2017: 70 · 2016: 70 · 2015: 83 · 2014: 66 · 2013: 89 · 2012: 87
FWCI
76.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Journal of Infectious Diseases (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (Z99 AI999999)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • U.S. National Library of Medicine
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Influenza Virus Research Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Respiratory viral infections research
Keywords
pandemic influenza, bacterial pneumonia, secondary bacterial pneumonia, causes of death, upper respiratory tract bacteria, pandemic preparedness, bacterial vaccines, autopsy findings
MeSH terms
Autopsy, Disease Outbreaks, Humans, Influenza, Human, Lung, Time Factors, Pneumonia, Bacterial, Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype

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