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Chest infections - adult - Background information
Community-acquired pneumonia
- Although there are a large number of microbes that can cause pneumonia, there are only a relatively small number that are frequent pathogens.
- In studies examining which pathogens cause community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), the likelihood of a specific pathogen being isolated depends on the clinical setting of the study. Thus, the results are different in patients studied in the community compared with those admitted to hospital and those receiving treatment in intensive care units. The identified pathogens for CAP in people treated in the community, reported by the British Thoracic Society, is summarized in Table 1.
- Mycoplasma pneumonia occurs in outbreaks every 4 to 7 years and is much more common in school age children and young adults [Taylor-Robinson, 2003].
Table 1. Pathogens isolated in people with community-acquired pneumonia treated in the community.
Microbial agent | Percentage of people with pathogen |
|---|
None identified | 45.0% |
Streptococcus pneumoniae | 36.0% |
Haemophilus influenzae | 10.0% |
Staphlococcus aureus | 0.8% |
Legionella pneumophilia | 0.4% |
Mycoplasma pneumoniae | 1.3% |
All viruses | 13.0% |
|
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