Findings
We measured concentrations of 149 lipid molecules in plasma from patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation due to infection, and healthy controls. We found that concentrations of several glycerophospholipids as well as activity of the damage-associated enzyme acid sphingomyelinase differed greatly between CAP and the other two groups.
Tranlational Significance
Plasma phosphatidylcholines constitute a class of potential biomarkers to facilitate the diagnosis of CAP and its differentiation from infection-associated COPD exacerbation. In addition, we identified acid sphingomyelinase as a potential target for host-directed (adjunct) treatments to improve the outcome of pneumonia.