Other Viral Pneumonias

Mycoplasmal, viral, and rickettsial pneumonias.

Of the variety of mycoplasma species, the smallest of free living organisms, only M. pneumoniae (Eaton agent) produces respiratory infections. These include pneumonia, tracheobronchitis, pharyngitis, and in 20% of cases, asymptomatic invasion . M. pneumoniae is one of a variety of organisms, including viruses, rickettsiae, and chlamydiae (psittacosis), that cause primary atypical pneumonia (PAP...

Legionnaires' disease: clinical differentiation from typical and other atypical pneumonias.

This article describes the clinical differentiation of legionnaires' disease from typical and other atypical pneumonias, with reference to the history, microbiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation (including radiologic manifestations, clinical extrapulmonary features, nonspecific laboratory findings, clinical syndromic diagnosis, and differential diagnosis), therapy, complications, and pro...

Lung function impairment following mycoplasmal and other acute pneumonias.

We prospectively studied the lung function of 106 consecutive young patients with pneumonia. At the time of hospital admission we observed impaired spirometric function in 48% of the patients. During and following treatment, the frequency of abnormalities in pulmonary function tests decreased rapidly. However, at the 15th day of hospitalization, abnormal ventilatory function was still demonstra...

The Pneumonias

Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias.

The idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) are a group of diffuse parenchymal lung diseases of unknown etiology characterized by the presence of various degrees of inflammation and fibrosis. Confident definitive diagnosis of the various IIPs requires dynamic interaction among clinicians, radiologists, and pathologists to arrive at a clinico-radiologic-pathologic diagnosis. The aims of this m...