Bacterial pneumonia
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Bacterial pneumonia | |
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Bacterial infection |
Bacterial pneumonia is a type of
Types
Gram-positive
Other important Gram-positive causes of pneumonia are Staphylococcus aureus (J15.2) and Bacillus anthracis.
Gram-negative
Gram-negative bacteria are seen less frequently: Haemophilus influenzae (J14), Klebsiella pneumoniae (J15.0), Escherichia coli (J15.5), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (J15.1), Bordetella pertussis, and Moraxella catarrhalis are the most common.
These bacteria often live in the gut and enter the lungs when contents of the gut (such as vomit or faeces) are inhaled.
Pneumonia caused by Yersinia pestis is usually called pneumonic plague.[2]
Atypical
.The term "atypical" does not relate to how commonly these organisms cause pneumonia, how well it responds to common
Signs and symptoms
- Pneumonia
- Fever
- Rigors
- Cough
- Runny nose (either direct bacterial pneumonia or accompanied by primary viral pneumonia)
- Dyspnea– shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Shaking chills[3]
- Pneumococcal pneumonia can cause coughing up of blood, or hemoptysis, characteristically associated with "rusty" sputum[4]
- Night Sweats
Pathophysiology
Bacteria typically enter the
Bacteria can travel from the lung into the blood stream (
In very some very rare cases, bacterial pneumonia can form from someone throwing up and then falling asleep on their side causing some stomach fluid to funnel into the lungs leading to this infection.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is carried out in steps.
Patient history is obtained, including the symptoms and their duration, as well as exposure to any risk factors of the disease. A
In some cases, pulse oximetry may also be required as pneumonia is known to deplete oxygen levels in the blood.[7] Other vitals such as pulse and body temperature are also checked.
Depending on the general health, severity of the disease and age of the patient, several other tests may be required, such as:
Prevention
Prevention of bacterial pneumonia is by vaccination against
Treatment
Gram-positive organisms
Streptococcus pneumoniae — amoxicillin (or erythromycin in patients allergic to penicillin); cefuroxime and erythromycin in severe cases.
Staphylococcus aureus — flucloxacillin (to counteract the organism's β-lactamase).
Gram-negative organisms
- Haemophilus influenzae — doxycycline; second generation cephalosporins such as cefaclor
- Klebsiella pneumoniae
- Escherichia coli
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa — ciprofloxacin
- Moraxella catarrhalis
Atypical organisms
- Chlamydophila pneumoniae — doxycycline
- Chlamydophila psittaci— erythromycin
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae — erythromycin
- Coxiella burnetti — doxycycline
- Legionella pneumophila — erythromycin, with rifampicin sometimes added.
People who have difficulty breathing due to pneumonia may require extra oxygen. An extremely sick individual may require artificial ventilation and intensive care as life-saving measures while his or her immune system fights off the infectious cause with the help of antibiotics and other drugs.
References
- ^ "Bacterial pneumonia" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
- ^ "Plague". World Health Organization (WHO). 2017-03-19. Archived from the original on 2017-03-19. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ DerSarkissian, ed. (22 November 2022). "Bacterial Pneumonia". Lung Disease & Respiratory Health Center. WebMD. p. 2.
- PMID 21250045.
- ^ PMID 32461392.
- ^ PMID 27999274.
- PMID 27838358.