eMedicine

Legionella pneumophila is an important cause of both community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonia and must be considered as a possible diagnosis in any patient who presents with pneumonia.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is perhaps best known as the cause of walking or atypical pneumonia, but the most frequent clinical syndrome caused by this organism actually is tracheobronchitis or bronchiolitis, often accompanied by upper respiratory tract manifestations. Pneumonia develops in only 5-10% of persons who are infected. Acute pharyngitis and myringitis are less common.

Bacterial pneumonia is caused by a pathogenic infection of the lungs and may present as a primary disease process or as the final coup de grace in the individual who is already debilitated. Pneumonia may be further categorized into community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), or hospital- or institutional-acquired pneumonia (HAP or IAP, respectively).

CAP usually is acquired by inhalation or aspiration of pulmonary pathogenic organisms into a lung segment or lobe. Less commonly, CAP may result from a secondary bacteremia from a distant source, such as CAP secondary to Escherichia coli urinary tract infection and/or bacteremia. CAP due to aspiration of oropharyngeal contents is the only form of CAP with multiple pathogens.

The responsible organism, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, is a pleomorphic organism that lacks a cell wall. The prolonged paroxysmal cough seen in this disease is thought to be due to the inhibition of ciliary movement, since the organism has a filamentous end that allows it to slip between cilia within the respiratory epithelium.

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability of doripenem compared to imipenem in ventilator-assisted pneumonia and complicated intra-abdominal infection. The study population will include hospitalized patients (or patients residing in a chronic health care facility) who have a diagnosis of either ventilator-associated pneumonia or complicated intra-abdominal infection.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate if zinc given as an adjunct to standard treatment of severe pneumonia in young children shortens the duration and reduces treatment failure, and if these effects are pathogen-dependent.

The purpose of this study is to compare the clinical cure rates of two dosing regimens of iclaprim with vancomycin (every 12 hours [q12h]) in the treatment of patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), or health-care-associated pneumonia (HCAP) suspected or confirmed to be due to gram-positive pathogens.

The proposed study aims to provide current information, etiology and outcome of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), risk factors for CAP in isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Legionella species. Risk factors, including patient demographics, comorbid illnesses, setting of presentation, causative organisms, antibiotic history, and resistance profiles will be assessed and outcome will be recorded.

This is a study in a large number of healthy children less than 3 years old to measure the efficacy of GSK Biologicals' pneumococcal conjugate candidate vaccine to prevent cases of pneumonia (lung infection) likely caused by bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae) or cases of otitis media (ear infection) in children under 3 years old.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of doripenem monohydrate in the treatment of patients with nosocomial (hospital-acquired) pneumonia.

To determine if linezolid is superior to vancomycin in the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia due to MRSA in adult subjects.

Hypothesis: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in critically ill patients may be prevented by continuous lateral rotation therapy (CLRT) using specially designed, motor-driven beds. Patients are randomized to CLRT or supine position if mechanically ventilated and not suffering from pneumonia or ARDS within 48 hours after intubation. Prophylaxis of VAP is standardized in both groups. Primary endpoint is incidence of VAP, secondary endpoints are length of ventilation, length of stay and mortality.

The aim of the study described is to measure the degree with which zinc given as adjunctive therapy to standard antibiotic treatment during childhood pneumonia reduces the risk of treatment failure and the duration of the illness.

Acute lower respiratory tract infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) still recommends intravenous chloramphenicol for the treatment of severe pneumonia in children aged less than five years. However, up to 20% of children fail treatment because of the emergence of resistance by bacteria. Several centers now use ceftriaxone, a third generation cephalosporin, which is reported to be efficacious in the treatment of severe pneumonia. However, the high cost of ceftriaxone is too prohibitive to allow for its routine use in resource-constrained countries. The purpose of this study is to compare chloramphenicol and ceftriaxone in the treatment of severe pneumonia in children under five.

The purpose of the study is to determine if the antibiotic ceftaroline is safe and effective in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in adults.

This study tests whether special oral care provided by nurses to critically ill patients who are on a breathing machine (mechanical ventilator) can help to reduce the build-up of dental plaque on the teeth and reduce the risk of pneumonia.