| Description: |
This chapter addresses atypical pneumonia. The term “atypical pneumonia” was first termed over 60 years ago to describe cases of pneumonia caused by an unknown agent(s) and which appeared clinically different from pneumococcal pneumonia. Although the original classification of atypical and typical pneumonia arose from the perception that the clinical presentation of patients was different, recent studies have shown there is excessive overlap of clinical manifestations of specific causes which does not permit empiric therapeutic decisions to be made solely on this basis. Thus, the designation of “atypical pneumonia” is controversial in relationship to scientific and clinical merit; and many authorities have suggested that the term “atypical” be discontinued. However, the term remains popular among clinicians and investigators and remains prevalent in recent literature regardless of its clinical value. Moreover, options for appropriate antimicrobial therapy for the most common causes are similar, which is considered “justification” by some to lump these together. Mycoplasma pneumoniae , Chlamydia pneumoniae , and Legionella pneumophila are the most common causes of “atypical” pneumonia. Treatment of atypical bacterial in the spectrum of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) has been controversial and is related to several issues which include the relevance of terminology, imprecise diagnostic methods at present, and perceived contradictory results of published evidence. |