Pneumococcal pneumonia

5 Interesting Facts of Pneumococcal pneumonia

  1. Disease caused by pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae
    • Most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia (incidence varies worldwide and may vary by changing rates of pneumococcal vaccination and smoking, but among cases with a diagnosed pathogen, pneumococcal pneumonia still predominates) 
  2. Symptoms similar to those of Mycoplasma pneumoniaeinfection include fever, cough, and pharyngitis 
  3. Patients with invasive pneumococcal disease are typically more ill appearing, and laboratory findings demonstrate a leukocytosis with left shift
  4. Clinical course and response to empiric treatment most often serve to differentiate the 2 infections
    • Unlike Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, cough may be productive of purulent or blood-tinged sputum, pleuritic chest pain is common, and both physical examination and chest radiograph suggest dense consolidation
    • Unlike Mycoplasma pneumoniae disease, Streptococcus pneumoniae infections respond well to sulfonamides or β-lactam antibiotics
  5. Microbiological testing, if performed, provides definitive differentiation
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