Community-acquired pneumonia in ambulatory patients: relative importance of atypical pathogens

The presence of atypical pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia is difficult to diagnose; culture is time-consuming and requires considerable expertise and serological identification may be inaccurate. Nevertheless, the increasing importance of atypical organisms has been recognised in recent yea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of antimicrobial agents 2001-01, Vol.18, p.57-61
Main Author: Honeybourne, D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ambulatory Care
Antibacterial agents
Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents
Atypical pneumonia
Biological and medical sciences
Chlamydia pneumoniae
Community-Acquired Infections - epidemiology
Community-Acquired Infections - etiology
Community-Acquired Infections - microbiology
Community-Acquired Infections - transmission
Community-acquired pneumonia
Epidemiology
Geography
Hospitalization
Humans
Legionella
Legionella species
Medical sciences
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Patient Care Management
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Pneumonia, Bacterial - epidemiology
Pneumonia, Bacterial - etiology
Pneumonia, Bacterial - microbiology
Pneumonia, Bacterial - transmission
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Summary:The presence of atypical pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia is difficult to diagnose; culture is time-consuming and requires considerable expertise and serological identification may be inaccurate. Nevertheless, the increasing importance of atypical organisms has been recognised in recent years. Variations in aetiology have been detected in different geographical regions and different patient populations. The season of the year may also influence aetiology, and some infections follow a cyclical pattern. When an atypical pathogen is suspected, a macrolide antibiotic is an appropriate choice as, in addition to activity against these organisms, they are usually effective against the Gram-positive and Gram-negative respiratory pathogens implicated in community-acquired pneumonia.
ISSN:0924-8579
1872-7913
DOI:10.1016/S0924-8579(01)00398-3