Incidence, etiologic pathogens, and diagnostic testing of community-acquired pneumonia.

Incidence, etiologic pathogens, and diagnostic testing of community-acquired pneumonia.

File T M Jr; Tan J S

Current opinion in pulmonary medicine

1997

1997-03

Determination of the etiologic pathogens of community-acquired pneumonia has been problematic because of the lack of reliable rapid laboratory diagnostic tools as well as the controversy concerning diagnostic criteria. In the studies reviewed here, a specific pathogen was identified in 39% to 88% of patients. Streptococcus pneumoniae remains the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia. Depending on the demographics of the study, between 2% to 43% of cases have been attributed to legionella or Chlamydia pneumoniae. More recently, other pathogens have emerged, including respiratory syncytial virus in adults, hantavirus, and possibly legionella-like amoebal pathogens and Streptococcus milleri group. Treatment guidelines published by various societies of experts have been helpful, but they cannot replace the need for better and rapid diagnostic techniques.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/diagnosis/microbiology; Community-Acquired Infections/diagnosis/epidemiology/microbiology; Humans; Pneumonia/diagnosis/epidemiology/*microbiology

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89–97

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