Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP): Practice Essentials, Overview, Etiology of Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most common infectious diseases and an important cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Typical bacterial pathogens that cause CAP include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis. However, with the advent of novel diagnostic technologies, viral respiratory pathogens are increasingly being identified as frequent etiologies of CAP. The most common viral pathogens recovered from hospitalized patients admitted with CAP include human rhinovirus and influenza. [1] The term “typical” CAP refers to a bacterial pneumonia caused by pathogens such as S pneumoniae, H influenzae, and M catarrhalis. Patients with typical CAP classically present with fever, a productive cough with purulent sputum, dyspnea, and pleuritic chest pain. Characteristic pulmonary findings on physical examination include the following: Epidemiologic data may provide clues to the specific pathogen causing CAP, as follows: The clinical pr

Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP): Practice Essentials, Overview, Etiology of Community-Acquired Pneumonia [{domaincategory=emedicine, pagename=emedicine, sspid=null, sspname=null, sspurl=null, locale=en_us, ddname=null, ddshow=0, ddorder=null, headeroverride=null, footeroverride=null}] --> close Please confirm that you would like to log out of Medscape. If you log out, you will be required to enter your username and password the next time you visit. Log out Cancel processing.... Tools & Reference > Infectious Diseases Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) Updated: Mar 27, 2025 Author: Sarah Y T

related reading

• Bronchopneumonia: What Is It, Contagiousness, Diagnosis, Treatment | Osmosisosmosis.org
• Acute Bronchitis - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelfncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• Community-acquired bacterial meningitis | Nature Reviews Disease Primersnature.com
• Interceptinterceptfund.com
• Lung abscess | Radiology Reference Article | Radiopaedia.orgradiopaedia.org
• Impetigo, Erysipelas and Cellulitis - Streptococcus pyogenes - NCBI Bookshelfncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• Surviving sepsis campaign: international guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2021 | Intensive Care Medicine | Springer Nature Linklink.springer.com
• ANTIBIOTICS REVIEWerrolozdalga.com
• Respiratory Failure in Adults - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelfncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• Varicella pneumonia | Radiology Reference Article | Radiopaedia.orgradiopaedia.org
• Overview of the Pathogen Biosurveillance Landscape — EA Forumforum.effectivealtruism.org
• Sensitivity and specificity of phrenic nerve electrophysiology to predict mechanical ventilation in the Guillain-Barré syndrome - PubMedpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov